NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Barahona Curlytail Lizard
Leiocephalus barahonensis Schmidt, 1921
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
Leiocephalus barahonensis, commonly known as the orange-bellied curlytail or Barahona curlytail lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Leiocephalidae (curly-tailed lizard). It is endemic to Hispaniola, including some outlying islands.
Five subspecies are recognized:Leiocephalus barahonensis barahonensis Schmidt, 1921
Leiocephalus barahonensis altavelensis Noble and Hassler, 1933
Leiocephalus barahonensis aureus Cochran, 1934
Leiocephalus barahonensis beatanus Noble, 1923
Leiocephalus barahonensis oxygaster Schmidt, 1967
However, IUCN and "Amphibians and reptiles of Caribbean Islands" treat Leiocephalus barahonensis altavelensis as a separate species Leiocephalus altavelensis, which species/subspecies is endemic to Alto Velo Island and considered "critically endangered" with a total population size that is no more than 500 individuals.
Wikipedia contributors, Leiocephalus barahonensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:18:59.665387+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leiocephalus barahonensis Schmidt, 1921
- Name authority
- Schmidt, 1921
- Common name
- Barahona Curlytail Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Leiocephalidae
- Genus
- Leiocephalus
- 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
- familyLeiocephalidae
- genusLeiocephalus
- speciesLeiocephalus barahonensis Schmidt, 1921
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leiocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Central Haitian CurlytailLeiocephalus endomychus Schwartz, 1967 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Morovis CurlytailLeiocephalus etheridgei Pregill, 1981 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| East Plana CurlytailLeiocephalus greenwayi Barbour & Shreve, 1935 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Martinique Curlytail LizardLeiocephalus herminieri (Duméril & Bibron, 1837) | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atalaye Curlytail LizardLeiocephalus pratensis (Cochran, 1928) | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bastion Cay Curlytail LizardLeiocephalus psammodromus Barbour, 1920 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mountain Curlytail LizardLeiocephalus raviceps Cope, 1863 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Haitian Black-throated CurlytailLeiocephalus rhutidira Schwartz, 1979 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Red-sided Curly-tailed LizardLeiocephalus schreibersii (Gravenhorst, 1838) | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hispaniolan Pale-bellied CurlytailLeiocephalus semilineatus Dunn, 1920 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cabo Corrientes Curlytail lizardLeiocephalus stictigaster Schwartz, 1959 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cochran's Curlytail LizardLeiocephalus vinculum Cochran, 1928 | LeiocephalidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Leiocephalus beatanus Noble, 1923 Noble, 1923 | synonym |
| Leiocephalus personatus aureus Cochran, 1934 Cochran, 1934 | 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=Leiocephalus&species=barahonensis 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:3SY33. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.