Reptiles

Reptiles: Terrestrial

Ten, possibly eleven, terrestrial reptile species or sub-species have been recorded, two of which are extinct.
The tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria - left) occurs throughout much of tropical America. Presumed to have been introduced from South America by Amerindians, it occurs on both islands, though it is very rare in the wild.

Four species of gecko occur on St. Kitts:
· the Common Woodslave (Hemidactylus mabouia) and the Giant Woodslave (Thecadactylus rapicauda) occur throughout the Lesser Antilles;
· Sphaerodactylus sabanus and S. sputator are endemic to St. Kitts-Nevis, and St. Eustatius.

Common Woodslave Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia)

The Giant Woodslave Gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda)

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(Sphaerodactylus sabanus)

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(Sphaerodactylus sputator)

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A large lizard (Iguana rhinolopna) is listed as from the fossil record in one source, (Arendt, 1985); it is not known whether the omission of this record from a more recent and comprehensive treatment of the fossil history (Pregill et al., 1994) refutes the finding or is just an oversight. The Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is known from middens on St. Kitts, and a specimen was taken on Nevis earlier this century (Hoffman, 1973). Currently, this species is extant on the St. Kitts-Nevis-St. Eustatius Bank only on the island of St. Eustatius where the Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is absent. In recent years, specimens of the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) have been seen or collected at various parts of St. Kitts. About four years ago, one was killed on the road to Old Road Town. That specimen is being kept frozen for future study.

There are two Anolis lizards:
(1) the green lizard (Anolis bimaculatus bimaculatus), a subspecies endemic to St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Eustatius; and
(2) A. wattsi schwartzi, also endemic to these three islands.
A ground lizard (Ameiva erythrocephala) is endemic to St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Eustatius). Burdon (1920) reported a shiny, bronze lizard (possibly Mabouia mabouya) that appears to have gone extinct since there have been no recent reports of this or any similar species from St. Kitts.

The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

The green lizard (Anolis bimaculatus bimaculatus)

A. wattsi schwartzi

Common ground lizard (Ameiva erythrocephala)

The country has two snakes:

1) A blind snake (Typhlops monastus) is fairly common, even if not commonly seen, in both St. Kitts and Nevis. The species occurs in Montserrat, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis—T. monastus geotomus being the subspecies occurring in this country, as well as in Antigua and Barbuda. There are local reports of a second species or morph of blind snake on St. Kitts, though no similar reports are known from Nevis. It is described as silvery-grey in color, versus the brownish pink coloration of T. monastus. In addition to color differences, T. monastus is found in wetter habitat on the slopes and in the moist forests, while the grey snake occurs in drier habitat, especially in the coastal areas. Specimens of both taxa should be collected for comparative taxonomic study.

Blind snake (Typhlops monastus) -place holder photo

(2) A Racer snake (Alsophis rufiventris) has been recorded for both islands; however, there have not been any confirmed sightings for several years and it may have been extirpated by mongoose. There have been interesting reports within the last four years of the occasional sighting of a small brown snake in the village of Cayon, located on the northeast coast of St. Kitts (K. Orchard, pers. comm.). As with the blind snake, specimens of this unidentified snake should be collected for further study. A. rufventris is extant on St. Eustatius and Saba.

Racer snake (Alsophis rufiventris)

Mention of the reptiles of what was then considered the French Antilles occurs in The History of the Caribby Islands by Cesar deRochefort, published in 1666. Several taxa are described, which cannot be found in the Antilles today. It is difficult to determine the exact distribution of the species mentioned, since they are just attributed to the Antilles. If it is an accurate record of the fauna at that time, many of the species described in this old book may have gone extinct.

Biodiversity Implications

With the exception of the snakes mentioned above, the terrestrial herpetofauna of St. Kitts and Nevis could be considered secure from a conservation perspective. All species are either common and/or occur in habitat that is not at risk.

As this website is very much a work in progress, we welcome any additional materials, photos, corrections or suggestions readers may have. We also plan on adding a dedicated photo gallery to highlight the "Flora & Fauna of Nevis" in-depth, and readers contributions are welcome!

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