n REPTILIA: CROCODILIA: CROCODYLIDAE Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Crocidilrts rhornbifer: Velasco 1893:80. Spelling error. Crocodrilus rhombifer: Velasco 1895:37. Spelling error. Ross, F.D. 1998. Crocodylus rliombifer. Crocodiltrs rliombifenrs: Reese 1915:2. Spelling error. Crocodylus rhombifer: Stejneger 19 17:289. First use of present Crocodylus rhombifer (Cuvier) combination. Cuban Crocodile Crocodylus antillensis Varona 1966:27, figs. 9-1 I. Type local- ity, Pleistocene deposits at Cueva Lamas, near Santa Fe, La Crocodilrrs rhombifer Cuvier 1807:s 1. Distribution of the spe- Habana Province, Cuba. Holotype (posterior skull fragment), cies was first associated with Cuba by DumCril and Bibron Institute Biologia Cuba, IB I0 I, collected by Oscar Arredondo (1836), who also described the species from life in diagnos- (OA 368). Paratypes include maxillary, premaxillary, and tic detail. The type locality was restricted to Cuba by Schmidt squamosal bones. Synonymy is by Varona (1966). (1924). Two known syntypes, one at I'AcadCmie des Sci- Crocodylus rhontbifera: Das 1994:200. Spelling error. ences, Paris, and the other in the MusCum National de'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHNP),are both currently unlocated (see CONTENT. Crocodylus rhombifpr is a monotypic species Remarks). No lectotype has been designated. including Pleistocene fossils. Wild hybrids are suspected. For croc rhombifer: Cuvier 18 17:2 1 (in a footnote). a discussion of captive hybridization between C. rhombifer and Crocodilus @laniro.stris)Graves 18 19:348. Type locality: "Af- several other species of Crocod.ylus, see Comments. rica" (in error). The type specimen, in the Museum of Bor- deaux, was formerly in the private collection of the Count of DEFINITION and DIAGNOSIS. Crocodylus rhombifer is Tustal, M. Joumu-Aubert, and was brought to France by a a spotted crocodile with short legs and short toes. The normal naval surgeon associated with the slave trade (Bory St. Vincent crocodilian webbing between the hind toes is very much re- 1824). It has long been considered lost (Gray 1867). Syn- duced. The Cuban Crocodile's moderately short head has a onymy and type locality restriction to Cuba are by Gray greatly reduced and specialized dentition characterized by 12- (1862). 13 maxillary teeth and, in adult animals, the development of a Champse rhombifer: Merrem 1820:36. New genus. Misquoted carnasial bite between the upper and lower jaws. The maxi- by Strauch ( 1866) as Chnntpses. mum reported size is 4.9 m, although few animals exceed 3.5 m Crocodilus (Gravesii): Bory de Saint Vincent 1824: 109. Sub- (Varona 1966). Behavior such as high-walking and maintain- stitute name for planirostris Graves. ing the head elevated while resting are characteristic. Crocodilus planirostris: Bory de Saint Vincent 1824: 109. Characteristic dentition includes the carnasial bite in which fi Crocodilus Gravesii: Bory de Saint Vincent 183 1: 132. co-enlarged maxillary upper teeth 4 and 5 and co-enlarged man- Crocodilrrs Rhombifer: Gray 183 l b:22; Cuvier 183 1 :98. dibular lower teeth 9 to 11 act in a single, very strong side-by- Crocodilrts Planirostris: Gray 183 1 b:23. side opposition that resembles a pair of scissors, especially when Crocodiht.~(Champs6s) rhombifer: Cocteau and Bibron 1838:4 1. empldyed for cutting tendons while dismembering large prey. Crocodilus (rhombifer): Drapiez 1838:234. The posterior-most maxillary teeth, and also their opposing pos- Crocodilr~s(ChamsPs) rhombifer: Cocteau and Bibron 184 1 :55. terior-most mandibular teeth, are blunt at their tips, and are re- Crocodilrrs (Palinia) rhombifer: Gray 1844:60. duced to a vestigial condition unsuited for major chewing or Crocodilrrs Chanzpse rhombifer: Mayer 1858:3 15. crushing. Mandibular teeth number 15, premaxillary teeth 5, Pulinia rhombifera: Gray 1862:270. and maxillary teeth always fewer than 14 (range 12-1 3 alveoli). Crocodilrispristinus Leidy 1868: 178. Type locality, Pleistocene Mandibular tooth 10 is the largest after mandibular tooth 4. All deposits at Ciego Montero, Cienfuegos (formerly Las Villas) allegations of 14 maxillary teeth are false. Some are based on Province, Cuba. Holotype (a dorsal vertebra), Academy of the palatal view in Cuvier ( 1808: pl. I, fig. 2; see Comments). Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) VP 8598. Syn- The lateral view of the same tooth row (Cuvier 1808: pl. I, fig. onymy is by Matthew (1918). 3) shows 13 maxillary teeth. Other reports of 14 maxillary teeth FlGUKli I. Low ant1 cvcnly keeled dorsal and lateral scalation of a captive adult Cuban Crocodile, Cmcodvlus rhombifer (Cuvier). The high walk posture is characteristic of this species. Photograph by I.L. Brisbin. I are from Central American Crocodyl~tsrnorelerii mixed in some and farther forward, at the level of maxillary teeth 4-5, the me- samples. In addition, some erroneous C. rhombiferdata in Owen dian nasal bones are always higher than the lateral maxillary (1 853) were reidentified by Gray ( 1867) to be Asian C. pa11alrtstr.i.~. humps in individuals >2 m TL. The width of the snout at the The dentition of C. rhombifrr most closely resembles a C. transverse level of the notch for the fourth mandibular teeth is robustlrs fossil, from Madagascar, that has 12 maxillary teeth longer than the midline length from the anterior tip of the snout (see Fossil Record). to the level of the notch. Incomplete notch development can The dorsal surface of the head has median orbital edges that very rarely hide the fourth maxillary tooth tip from median dor- often are strongly raised at the midlevel of the eyes, and the sal view. The snout tip around the nostrils is short, broad, and orbits are large in proportion to skull size when compared with dorsoventrally thick. Mandibular tooth I rarely pierces the an- most other Crocodylus. Arudirnentary bony plate is in the ante- terior end edge of the premaxillary bone. The mandibular sym- rior corner of the upper eyelid. Except in very young individu- physis extends to the level of the 4th teeth on each side when als, the lateral edges of the dorsal postorbital cranial table are viewed from below with skin; or to the level of mandibular tooth usually raised above the center, and the postorbital cranial table 5, when viewed from above on cleaned lower jaws. Mandibu- widens posteriorly at the back end of the skull. Knobs of the lar symphysis length is less than the width of the mandibles at elevated squamosal bone often are highly developed at the pos- the transverse level of mandibular teeth 4 or 5. The premaxil- terior and lateral corners of the cranial table in adults. On the lary-maxillary suture on the palate is essentially transverse. but snout, in front of the eyes, a minor median hump is often present, often a minor median, anterior projection gives it a broad, very MAP. The natural distribution of Crocodylus rhornbifer, including Pleistocene fossils. The type locality is too imprecise to plot. Dots mark locations of extant populations and stars indicate sites at which fossils have been found. The Isle of Pines currently supports captive and reintro- duced populations, whereas those in the Zapata Swamp, Cuba include wild and captive populations. FIGURE 2. Partial lateral view (upper drawing) and complete dorsal view of the scalation (lower drawing) of a fluid preserved subadult Crocodylus rhombifer in the Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam (ZMA 12510) showing: a. the most anterior caudal transverse row of scales to pass posterior to the cloacal region is C-3 (the 3rd caudal row), using the terminology of Ross and Mayer (1983); b. the cloacal region in relation to the hind limb (marked with an open circle); c. the first transverse dorsal precaudal scale row (PC-1); d. lateral body scales form two lengthwise scale rows separated from the contiguous transverse rows of the dorsal armor, and from each other by granular skin; e. the lateral end of the ventral gular collar (also see Fig. 3a) is at the anterior edge of the base of the front leg (marked with a star); f. conical scales on the lateral surface of the neck; g. the 17th precaudal scale row (PC-17); h. the neck shield is PC-20 and PC-21 combined as a transverse row of 2 scales, and PC-22 and PC-23 combined as a transverse row of 4 scales; i. the 26th precaudal transverse scale row (PC-26); j. the squamosal horns of the cranial table; k. the rhomboidal shape that gave C. rhombifer its name. Drawings by ED. Ross. shallow "W" shape. This projection extends posteriorly to the are low, even in size, uninterrupted, and continue well onto the level of maxillary tooth 1, or slightly beyond, but not to tooth 2 base of the tail. Neither the 18-20 double crest caudal rows nor in the maxillary series. The palate is short and appreciably raised the more posterior 17 or 18 single crest caudal rows are highly above the maxillary tooth row. The mandibles are short and or sharply keeled dorsally. The lateral body scutes have low dorsoventrally thickened (see Comments). and essentially continuous keels much like the keels on the dor- The dorsal and lateral scalation of the neck includes small, sal scales, and the lateral rows are separated from each other raised scales surrounding the neck shields. These conically and from the dorsal armor by granular skin. keeled scutes are likely ossified in adult animals and cover the The dorsal scales on the limbs often are raised to a central dorsal neck muscles with a protective armor, while still allow- conical peak or a short median point, as opposed to a length- ing the head to have lateral and vertical movement. The wise ridge. The cone shape is more developed than in any other postoccipital transverse scale row, close behind the head, has living Crocodylus.