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BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGIONS | AMPHIBIAN DISTRIBUTIONS | REPTILE DISTRIBUTIONS Cuba | Jamaica | Hispaniola | Puerto
Rican Bank | Lesser Antilles |
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Biogeographic regions of the Lesser Antilles
(Hedges,
1999)
This chain of islands (5840 km2 total)
begins just east of the Puerto Rican Bank and extend in an arc southward to the
continental shelf of South America at Trinidad and Tobago (Fig. 6). The largest
island, Guadeloupe (1,510 km2), also is the highest (1467 m). Most
islands have at least some small patches of forest remaining; Dominica is the
most forested, Barbados the least. Hurricanes, and on a less-frequent time
scale, volcanic eruptions, are natural causes of environmental perturbation in
the Lesser Antilles. 
Figure. Islands and island groups of the
Lesser Antilles. Redonda, located between St. Eustatius and Montserrat, has no
reported amphibian species.
Anguilla Bank.-Included in this region are Anguilla (59 m maximum
elevation), St. Martin (392 m), and St.-Barthélémy (424 m). These are three
rocky islands of only moderate elevation. Anguilla is covered mostly with dry
scrub forest.
Saba Bank.-This is a small, rocky, volcanic island attaining a
maximum elevation of 870 m.
St. Eustatius Bank.-Included here are the islands of St. Eustatius (600 m
maximum elevation), St. Christopher or "St. Kitts" (1156 m), and
Nevis (985 m). All three are relatively rocky, volcanic islands with montane
rainforest in the upper elevations and dry scrub forest along the coasts.
Barbuda Bank.-Barbuda (62 m maximum elevation) and Antigua (402 m)
are low, mostly denuded limestone islands with rolling hills and cattle farms.
Montserrat.-Although primary forest has been removed from this
volcanic island, there is some dry scrub forest (low elevations) secondary
rainforest (mid-elevations of north slopes) and elfin woodland (summits); the
maximum elevation is 914 m.
Guadeloupe Bank.-The largest island, Basse-Terre (1467 m maximum
elevation), is volcanic and has some montane rainforest; Grande-Terre is a low
and essentially denuded limestone island; La Desirade (273 m) is a sharp ridge
of limestone and exposed Jurassic rock.
Marie Galante.- This is a low, deforested limestone island attaining
a maximum elevation of only 204 m.
Dominica.- The largest remaining tracts of primary forest in
the Lesser Antilles are on this volcanic island, where 60% of the land is
forested with either dry scrub forest (west coast), montane rainforest (south
and central), or elfin woodland (summits); the maximum elevation is 1447 m.
Martinique.-Moderately large tracts of forest, totalling 12% of
land area, remain on this volcanic island which rises to 1397 m, but all have
been affected by human activities. These tracts include dry scrub forest
(south), montane rainforest (intermediate elevations), and cloud forest (Mt.
Pelee and west-central).
St. Lucia.-This volcanic island supports some forest habitats,
including dry scrub forest (north, and lower elevations near coast), rainforest
(slopes), and cloud forest (summits); the maximum elevation is 950 m.
St. Vincent.-There are some secondary forests, but apparently
there is only one remaining undisturbed montane rainforest area which is located
along the ridge in the center of this volcanic island; the maximum elevation is
1234 m.
Grenada Bank.-Grenada (840 m maximum elevation) is the largest of
these volcanic islands; the Grenadines, including among others Carriacou (294
m), Ronde (164 m), and Union Island (305 m), is a chain of small, low islands
between Grenada and St. Vincent. Forests on Grenada include dry scrub forest
(south), secondary montane rainforest (intermediate elevations), and elfin
woodland (summits).
Barbados.-This densely populated low island, formed by uplifted
ocean floor, is devoid of forest; the maximum elevation is 340 m. ____________
Hedges, S. B. 1999. Distribution patterns of
amphibians in the West Indies. Pp. 211-254 In, Duellman, W. E. (Ed.) Patterns
of distribution of amphibians: A global perspective. The Johns Hopkins
University Press, Baltimore.