A new species of lizard was recently discovered in the Cuban Varahicacos Ecological Reserve, located in Matanzas province.
The reptile, found in the bushes and forest of the protected park was registered with the name of Aristelliger reyesi, in recognition of Ernesto Reyes, one of its discoverers, reported Juventud Rebelde.
The finding shows that Cuba’s biodiversity still holds surprises, for that reason inventories and biological monitoring actions should be further facilitated, said Luis M. Diaz, researcher with Cuba’s National Museum of Natural History.
Morphological and genetic studies in comparison with other specimens confirm that the lizard belongs to a species that is closely related with the Aristelliger cochranae (from Navassa Island) and with the Aristelliger expectatus (from La Española), explained Diaz.
The Aristelliger is represented by seven Caribbean species and its closest relatives come from Africa, which means that its origin could be very ancient.
The Aristelliger reyesi grows up to 13 centimeters long and the males are larger than the females. The head is crossed by a black stripe that reaches the forelegs. (RHC-ACN)
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