NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
White Cay Ground Iguana
Cyclura rileyi Stejneger, 1903
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Cyclura rileyi, commonly known as the Central Bahamian rock iguana or the San Salvador rock iguana, is a critically endangered species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. The species is native to three island groups in the Bahamas, and is in decline due to habitat encroachment from human development and predation by feral dogs and cats. There are three subspecies: the Acklins ground iguana (Cyclura rileyi nuchalis), the White Cay iguana (Cyclura rileyi cristata), and the nominotypical subspecies (Cyclura rileyi rileyi).
Wikipedia contributors, Cyclura rileyi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:37:46.090131+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cyclura rileyi Stejneger, 1903
- Name authority
- Stejneger, 1903
- Common name
- White Cay Ground Iguana
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Iguanidae
- Genus
- Cyclura
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyIguanidae
- genusCyclura
- speciesCyclura rileyi Stejneger, 1903
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cyclura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cyclura cychlura (Cuvier, 1829) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Turks & Caicos IguanaCyclura carinata Harlan, 1824 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hispaniolan Rhinoceros IguanaCyclura cornuta (Bonnaterre, 1789) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Grand Cayman Blue IguanaCyclura lewisi Grant, 1941 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Anegada Ground IguanaCyclura pinguis Barbour, 1917 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ricord's Ground IguanaCyclura ricordii (Duméril & Bibron, 1837) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cyclura cristata Schmidt, 1920 Schmidt, 1920 | synonym |
| Cyclura nuchalis Barbour & Noble, 1916 Barbour & Noble, 1916 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Cyclura&species=rileyi Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32YTL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.