Spondylurus magnacruzae (Greater Saint 
Croix Skink). Conservation.
Date of observation: 19 June 1987. Location: U.S. Virgin Is­
lands; Saint Croix, Green Cay. Coordinates: 17.7657, -64.6663. 
Elevation: 17 m. Voucher: image. This is only known photo­
graph of a living individual and only the third sighting of the 
species since 1882. One specimen was collected in 1964 on 
Green Cay (Hedges, B. & Conn, C.E., 2012, A new skink fauna 
from Caribbean islands [Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuyinae], 
Zootaxa, 3288, 1-244.) and the other sighting was also made 
on Green Cay, in September 2000 (Evans MA, et al., 2010, 
Sandy Point, Green Cay and Buck Island National Wildlife 
Refuges. Conservation Action Plan. U.S. Department of the 
Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 264 p.). There is no record 
of a skink (any species) from the main island of Saint Croix 
since 1882 (Hedges & Conn 2012). Green Cay (5.7 hectares) 
is a small islet only 450 m off the NE coast of Saint Croix. The 
sighting reported here (in 1987) was made in early afternoon 
(13:45 hrs) after a rain, in woodland habitat (primarily Cordia 
rickseckeri, with some C. alba) near the highest point on the 
island (southern end). The Saint Croix Ameiva (Ameiva polops) 
was found in the same habitat. Trees averaged 14 cm in di­
ameter at breast height, with a density of 5-16 per 100 m2. 
Shrubs (Oplonia) comprised 5-35% cover, and there was no 
grass cover. The soil was loose, easily dug by hand. The animal 
in the photo here possesses several typical characteristics of 
the species, including sharp, bold lateral stripes, reduced dor­
solateral stripes, and a small ear opening, which distinguish­
es it from its closest relative Spondylurus spilonotus, occurring 
elsewhere in the Virgin Islands. The individual, a female, was 
131 mm total length, 72 mm snout-vent length, and weighed 
13 grams. It differs in many ways from the other species of 
skink on Saint Croix, Capitellum parvicruzae (Lesser Saint Croix 
Skink), which has a short head and greatly reduced hands, 
feet, and digits (Hedges & Conn 2012). Capitellum parvicruzae 
has not been seen since the holotype and only specimen was 
collected in 1875 (Hedges & Conn 2012). The introduction of 
the Small Indian Mongoose to Caribbean islands in the late 
nineteenth Century has been directly implicated in popula­
tion reductions, extirpations, and extinctions of many species 
of reptiles, including 38 species of skinks (Hedges & Conn 
2012). Herpetologists have visited the main island of Saint 
Croix and its islets, including Green Cay, since the last sight­
ings of skinks (both species) and no individuals have been 
seen. However, these two species were not recognized taxo­
nomically until 2012, and therefore concerted and thorough 
searches are needed before they should be considered extinct. 
S. Blair Hedges, Pennsylvania State University, Depart­
ment of Biology, 208 Mueller Lab, University Park, Pennsylva­
nia, 16802, USA, sbh1@psu.edu and Albert J. Meier, Western 
Kentucky University, Department of Biology, Bowling Green, 
Kentucky, 42101, USA, albert.meier@wku.edu.
Citation: Hedges SB, Meier AJ. 2013. Spondylurus mag­
nacruzae (Greater Saint Croix Skink). Conservation. Carib­
bean Herpetology 46:1.
Photo by A. J. Meier
Published online 27 September 2013
Caribbean Herpetology 46:1	
	
www.caribbeanherpetology.org
1
ISSN 2333-2468
caribbean herpetology                                                                                       note