Eastern casquehead iguana

Eastern casquehead iguana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Corytophanidae
Genus: Laemanctus
Species: L. longipes
Binomial name
Laemanctus longipes
Wiegmann, 1834[2]

The eastern casquehead iguana (Laemanctus longipes) is a species of lizard native to Central America and Mexico.

Geographic range

It is found in southern Mexico (Colima, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Yucatán), Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.[2]

Description

Long and thin, it can reach 70 cm (27.5 in) in total length, two-thirds of which is a thin tail.

The scales on the forehead are much larger than those on the back of the head. No projecting triangular scales occur on the posterior border of the head. The gular scales are bicarinate or tricarinate.[3]

Sexual dimorphism is present, but is difficult to observe. Males have a somewhat thicker tail root than females, and the hemipenes are sometimes visible when lifting the tail gently.

Habitat

Eastern casquehead iguanas inhabit tropical wet, moist, and seasonally dry forests. It can persist in secondary growth when suitable trees are present.[1]

Behavior

Eastern casquehead iguana is an arboreal species occurring high up in the trees.[1] Rather slow, it sits on trees and bushes above water courses, licking water drops on leaves, and catching insects that walk nearby. L. longipes lives individually, or in a territory with one male and one to three females. Usually, however, males and females only meet for mating, which can happen several times per year.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

Etymology

The subspecific name, deborrei, is in honor of Belgian entomologist Charles Preudhomme de Borre.[4] The subspecific name, waltersi, is in honor of Leon L. Walters, who collected the type specimen with Karl P. Schmidt.[5]

Captivity

L. l. longipes
A female L. longipes digging a burrow near the Mayan ruins of El Mirador, Guatemala, possibly for use as a nesting site.

These lizards are sometimes bred in captivity, but they are not good terrarium companions for beginners, as they quickly and often dehydrate. Daily misting or a water-dropping system is essential. Temperatures should range between 25 and 35 °C during day, and between 20 and 23 during night. Humidity should range between 70 and 90%. They are great cricket eaters and should receive at least four or five adult crickets every day. They also need UVA and UVB lighting and an additional vitamin and calcium feed once a week.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Flores-Villela, O., Townsend, J.H. & Wilson, L.D. (2013). "Laemanctus longipes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Laemanctus longipes at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Boulenger GA. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Læmanctus longipes, pp. 105-106).
  4. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Laemanctus longipes deborrei, p. 67).
  5. ↑ Schmidt KP. 1933. New Reptiles and Amphibians from Honduras. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 20 (4): 15-22. (Laemanctus waltersi, new species, pp. 20-21).

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.