Tag Archives: Antigua

Amazona vittata ssp. ‘Antigua’

Antigua Amazon (Amazona vittata ssp.)

This form is known from at least two subfossil bones recovered from archaeological sites on the island of Antigua, which were identified as being identical to the Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata (Boddaert)).

It is of course possible that the species was brought to the island by early human settlers, which apparently have always hunted parrots for food but have also kept them as pets and transported them from one place to another. The neighboring island of Barbuda, however, is known to once have harbored a native population of this species or maybe a very closely related one, so it is likely that the same form, or rather a subspecies of it inhabited Antigua as well. [1]

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References:

[1] Charles A. Woods; Florence E. Sergile: Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives, Second Edition. CRC Press; Auflage: Subsequent 2001

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edited: 13.02.2020

Leiocephalus cuneus ssp. ‘Antigua’

Antigua Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus cuneus ssp.)  

The Antigua Curly-tailed Lizard is known only from subfossil remains, which are assigned to the Barbuda Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus cuneus Etheridge).  

I’d like to refer to this form from the island of Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, as a subspecies distinct from its Barbudan congener, since both islands, Antigua and Barbuda, are disconnected since the end of the Pleistocene era about 10000 years ago.  

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References:  

[1] Gregory K. Pregill: Systematics of the West Indian Lizard Genus Leiocephalus (Squamata: Iguania: Tropiduridae). Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 84: 1-69. 1992

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edited: 08.09.2019

Battus polydamas ssp. antiquus (Rothschild & Jordan)

Antigua Gold Rim Swallowtail (Battus polydamas ssp. antiquus)

The Antigua Gold Rim Swallowtail, described in 1906, is a subspecies of the Gold Rim Swallowtail (Battus polydamus (L.)); it is thought to have been endemic to the island of Antigua in the Lesser Antilles.

This form is actually known only from a depiction by the British entomologist Dru Drury from 1770 (see below), however, it is quite possible that this form never existed in the first place as it is known that Drury’s book contains lots of geographical and taxonomical errors.

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Depiction: ‘J. O. Westwood: Illustrations of exotic entomology : containing upwards of six hundred and fifty figures and descriptions of foreign insects, interspersed with remarks and reflections on their nature and properties by Dru Drury. London: Henry G. Bohn 1837’

(public domain)

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edited: 16.05.2022