THE HERPETOLOGY OF HISPANIOLA 



By Doris M. Cochran 



INTRODUCTION 



This study of the herpetology of Hispaniola has been undertaken 

 for the purpose of advancing the survey of the amphibian and reptile 

 fauna of the Greater Antilles. Of these islands Hispaniola has re- 

 mained the least known faunistically until the past two decades, 

 during which time thorough collecting in certain regions has multiplied 

 the number of species known to science. Although undoubtedly a 

 great many more species, and perhaps even some genera, remain to 

 be discovered in areas in which little collecting has so far been done, 

 it is hoped that the following keys, descriptions, and figures of the 

 species already known from Hispaniola may prove to be a stimulus 

 to further discoveries. 



Hispaniola, with the adjoining islets, now divided between the 

 Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has been referred to 

 by earlier writers as San Domingo, St. Domingue, Santo Domingo, 

 Hayti, and Haiti. When such names are used without any specific 

 river or town or other geographic feature that might serve to locate 

 them definitely, it is often impossible to say whether it was the 

 intention of the author to refer to the entire island or to either one of 

 its political subdivisions, properly spoken of as the Republic of Haiti 

 and the Dominican Republic. The old name of Hispaniola is now 

 taken to refer to the island as a whole and the adjoining islets Gonave, 

 Tortue, Sept Freres, Saona, Alta Vela, Beata, He a Vache, and the 

 Cayemites. In the locality lists the abbreviation "D. R." refers to 

 the Dominican Republic, and "Haiti" to the Republic of Haiti alone. 

 Equivocal records are given in quotation marks. While the island of 

 Navassa is not included in this survey, figures of the types of the two 

 Navassan reptiles, Typhlops sulcatus and Celestus badius, will be 

 found in the discussion of their apparent allies in Hispaniola. 



For the loan of specimens my thanks are due to Dr. Thomas Bar- 

 bour, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology; to Mrs. Helen T. 

 Gaige, of the Museum of Zoology at Ann Arbor; and to K. P. Schmidt, 

 of the Field Museum. I am indebted to Dr. G. K. Noble, of the 

 American Museum of Natural History, for the loan of several 

 paratypes, and to Dr. E. R. Dunn for specimens in the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. I have borrowed some Leiocephali 



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