Cuba: Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas - The Field Museum

Technical Report
OVERVIEW OF INVENTORY SITES
The Municipality of Sierra de Cubitas extends north of Camagüey and
occupies 2,700 km2 . The drainage of the Máximo and Jigüey Rivers make up
its eastern and western boundaries, respectively. Its southern margin is defined
by the outskirts of the city of Camagüey, and the Caribbean coast borders
the Municipality to the north.
The karstic nature of Sierra de Cubitas and its related manifestations—
such as its huge gaps, caves, and sinkholes—results in heterogeneous ecological
conditions supporting a unique biota. Extensive plains isolate the Sierra from the
remaining mountainous groups in the country (such as the Sierra de Najasa, to
the south). Multiple caves shelter a distinct cavernicolous fauna and provide a
valuable fossil record of animals that once inhabited the region. The highest points
within the provincial territory are found here: Cerro Tuabaquey (to 335 m in
altitude) and Cerro Mirador de Limones (to 309 m). Throughout its extension,
karstic gaps or secondary faults cleave the Sierra. Historically, nearby residents
used these as routes to cross from one side of the region to the other, and for
this reason they are called pasos.
Sierra de Cubitas, and the adjoining plains to the south, contain
significant landscape and ecosystem diversity. The historical relationships among
these ecological centers and ecosystems in other regions of the country have
important biogeographic consequences.
Today, the Cubitas region is a relic, an area harboring the most
remaining forest coverage in Camagüey Province and a distinct flora of the
northern serpentine peneplains. The rest of the province has been devastated
almost entirely by livestock and farming (Fig. 2A).
SITES VISITED BY THE BIOLOGICAL TEAM
The field team sampled several locations within Sierra de Cubitas, including
Cerro Tuabaquey, Cerro Pelado, Cerro Mirador de Limones, Paso de Lesca,
Paso de La Vigueta, Paso de Los Paredones, Hoyo de Bonet, and Cueva de María
Teresa, as well as the Sabana de Cubitas immediately to the south. We did not
establish camps, but visited the sites both during the day and at night.
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