A New Species of Diploglossus (Reptilia, Lacertilia, Anguidae) from Hispaniola

A New Celestus (Sauria: Anguidae) from the Chaine de la Selle of Haiti

“…In the region of Hispaniola where the holotype of C. macrotus was taken, both C. costatus and C. stenurus occur. These two species show considerable geographic variation throughout their extensive Hispaniolan ranges (Schwartz, 1964). Celestus costatus is more of an upland species in this region of southern Hispaniola, whereas C. stenurus is a lower elevation xerophile (these distinctions do not hold throughout Hispaniola).…”

“…Rostral about 1.7 times wider than high, subpentagonal, followed by two wide, short (major axis transverse) supranasals, the left imbricating onto the right, in turn followed by two larger, wider frontonasals, left imbricating onto right; prefrontal @ 1989 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Comparisons. -Celestus macrotus differs from all Jamaican species in some combination of meristic characters (scales mental to vent, scales around midbody, striae number) and coloration, limb length, subdigital lamellar morphology, claw shape and sheathing, and various other features (Lynn and Grant, 1940;Underwood, 1959;Schwartz, 1971). With the exception of C. marcanoi, all the Hispaniolan species of Celestus, including C. macrotus, have a pair of dark paramedian stripes from the nape onto the anterior trunk (absent or weakly expressed in some populations); even C. marcanoi has lines on the neck, however.…”

“…Celestus curtissi is a smaller, short-limbed xerophile, and there are two montane species on the north island, C. darlingtoni and C. marcanoi, both small, long-limbed species. Schwartz (1964) noted that none of these species is always distinguishable on the basis of meristic characters. The principal differences are in head shape, particularly snout shape, elongation of the body, limb proportions, to some extent the shapes of the head scales, keeling, and coloration.…”

Living and late Holocene fossil vertebrates, and the vegetation of the cockpit country, Jamaica

“…This lizard presumably has become extinct within this century. When he wrote The Herpetology of Jamaica with W. Gardner Lynn in 1940, Chapman Grant insisted that they still existed, a view opposed by other authors (Barbour, 1910;Cousens, 1956;Schwartz, 1970Schwartz, , 1971.…”

Rediscovery of the Altagracia Giant Galliwasp (Caribicus anelpistus) at Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic

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W e herein report the rediscovery of the Altagracia Giant Galliwasp (Caribicus anelpistus) (Fig. 1) for the first time since its original description 44 years ago (Schwartz et al 1979). The species is known from only a single location in a low-elevation humid forest, where it has been associated with the root systems of large trees (e.g., the Sandbox Tree, Hura crepitans).

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