Zoogeographic Patterns and Tectonic History of Jamaica and the Northern Caribbean

Phylogenetic relationships of modern terrestrial animals in the Greater Antilles, particularly Jamaica, suggest pattems of island colonization during the Cenozoic that agree with recent plate tectonic interpretations. Because Jamaica was largely submerged in early mid-Tertiary its modern endemic fauna does not include groups that invaded the other Antilles at about that time. As the modern island of Jamaica became emergent, it was translocated eastward in tectonic movement along the northern Caribbean plate margin. Biogeographic distributions for many groups of beetles, amphibians, reptiles and other taxa indicate that initially the island was colonized more frequently from Central America. Present-day dispersal appears to be predominantly with Cuba and Hispaniola. Extensive late Tertiary uphft coupled with Pleistocene cycles of climate and sea level have also contributed to the uniqueness of Jamaica's fauna.