Florida's Exotic Wildlife. Species detail.
First year: 1935
Extirpated year:
Established status: Populations
are confirmed breeding and apparently self-sustaining for 10 or
more consecutive years.
Estimated Florida range: 6
counties At least 10 years, 1 county Less than 10
years, 3 counties Not reported breeding
Statewide trend: Expanding
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Photograph by Kevin M. Enge © 2003
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Threats to natives: Unknown.
Species Account: This species was
released intentionally in the 1940s in Palm Beach in an attempt to
rid sugarcane of insect pests, and it has since expanded both north
and south (Weigl et al. 1969). This native of the Bahama Islands is
also popular in the pet trade, which has resulted in additional
releases and escapes. It is now common in parks, in agricultural
lands, along canal edges, along seawalls, and in other habitats in
Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties (Bartlett and Bartlett
1999). Its range is relatively contiguous for 90 km along the
Atlantic Coast from Hobe Sound, Martin County, south to Lighthouse
Point, Broward County (Smith et al. 2004). This alert, robust
lizard is mostly terrestrial but climbs well, especially preferring
areas with ground rubble. Males may reach a length of 28 cm (11 in)
and have a gray to tan back, light stripes on the nape and
dorsolaterally, and a low vertebral crest. The dark-banded tail is
held curved above the back. Another subspecies (virescens) occurred
in Miami prior to 1940 (Barbour 1936, Carr 1940) but died out
shortly afterwards (King and Krakauer 1966). A third subspecies
(coryi) was found on Virginia Key and Key Biscayne in Dade County
(Truitt and Ober 1973), but its present status is unknown. It has
been observed being preyed upon by a Little Blue Heron (Egretta
caerulea) (Smith and Engeman 2004).
Habitats: Coastal upland, Exotic
plant community, Low density suburban development, areas peripheral
to core urban areas, and small towns, Agricultural habitat,
Recently disturbed, early successional community
| County |
First Year |
Extirpated Year |
Breeding status |
Notes |
| BREVARD |
1991 |
|
At least 10 years |
Cocoa Beach (Krysko and King 2002) |
| BROWARD |
? |
|
At least 10 years |
(Bartlett and Bartlett 1999); FLMNH specimens |
| COLLIER |
1992? |
|
At least 10 years |
Chokoloskee Island (McCoid 2002b) |
| DADE |
1935 |
|
At least 10 years |
Miami (Barbour 1936); carinatus subspecies reported on Virginia
Key and Key Biscayne by King and Krakauer (1966), whereas Truitt
and Ober (1973) reported the coryi subspecies here; Port of Miami
(Callahan 1982) |
| HIGHLANDS |
1986 |
|
Not reported breeding |
Sebring (Layne 1987) |
| INDIAN RIVER |
1999 |
|
Not reported breeding |
(Smith and Engeman 2003) |
| MARTIN |
1994 |
|
At least 10 years |
In 1994, at the jct. of County Line Road and U.S. Highway 1
(Smith and Engeman 2002); in 1999, at Sea Treasures tourist shop at
18955 U.S. Route 1 (Hauge and Butterfield 2000a); Jonathan
Dickinson State Park (Smith and Engeman 2003) |
| MONROE |
1995 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Coral Reef State Park (Duquesnel 1998), but individuals were
extirpated; however, another population was discovered on Key Largo
in 2003 (K. Enge, FFWCC, Quincy, personal observation) |
| PALM BEACH |
1940s |
|
At least 10 years |
Palm Beach (Weigel et al. 1969); 1955 (King 1960); disjunct
population also occurs inland in Belle Glade (Krysko et al., in
press) |
| SAINT LUCIE |
2003 |
|
Not reported breeding |
St. Lucie Shopping Center (Dean et al. 2004) |
References
Barbour, T. 1936. Two introduced lizards in Miami,
Florida. Copeia 1936:113.
Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999. A field
guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company,
Houston, Texas. 278pp.
Carr, A. F., Jr. 1940. A contribution to the
herpetology of Florida. University of Florida Publications,
Biological Sciences 3:1-118.
Dean, C. L., H. T. Smith, and R. M. Engeman. 2004.
Geographic distribution: Leiocephalus carinatus armouri (Little
Bahama curly-tailed lizard). Herpetological Review 35:82.
Duquesnel, J. 1998. Keys invasion by alien lizards
continues. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Resource
Management Notes 10(1):9.
Hauge, J. B., and B. P. Butterfield. 2000.
Leiocephalus carinatus armouri (northern curlytail lizard).
Herpetological Review 31:53.
King, F. W. 1960. New populations of West Indian
reptiles and amphibians in southeastern Florida. Quarterly Journal
of the Florida Academy of Sciences 23:71-73.
King, F. W., and T. Krakauer. 1966. The exotic
herpetofauna of southeast Florida. Quarterly Journal of the Florida
Academy of Sciences 29:144-154.
Krysko, K. L., and F. W. King. 2002. Geographic
distribution: Leiocephalus carinatus armouri (Little Bahama
curly-tailed lizard). Herpetological Review 33:148.
Krysko, K. L., K. M. Enge, J. H. Townsend, E. M.
Langan, S. A. Johnson, and T. S. Campell. In Press. New county
records of amphibians and reptiles from Florida. Herpetological
Review.
Layne, J. N. 1987. Leiocephalus carinatus
(curly-tailed lizard). Herpetological Review 18:20.
McCoid, M. J. 2002b. Geographic distribution:
Leiocephalus carinatus (curlytail lizard). Herpetological Review
33:322.
Smith, H. T., and R. M. Engeman. 2002. An earlier
report of the exotic northern curly-tailed lizard in Martin County,
Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 30:132-133.
Smith, H. T., and R. M. Engeman. 2003. A review of
the range, distribution, and ecology of the invasive northern
curly-tailed lizard in Florida. Florida Park Service "Parknership"
Technical Report. 5pp.
Smith, H. T., and R. M. Engeman. 2004. Leiocephalus
carinatus armouri (northern curly-tailed lizard). Predation.
Herpetological Review 35:169-170.
Smith, M. M., H. T. Smith, and R. M. Engeman. 2004.
Contiguous extensive north-south range expansion of the original
population of an invasive lizard in Florida. International
Biodeterioration and Biodegradation 54:261-264.
Truitt, J. O., and L. D. Ober. 1971. A guide to the
lizards of south Florida (Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Keys).
Hurricane House, Miami, Florida, USA. 37pp.
Weigl, G. L., R. G. Domey, and W. R. Courtenay, Jr.
1969. Survival and range expansion of the curly-tailed lizard,
Leiocephalus carinatus armouri, in Florida. Copeia
1969:841-842.
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