Microlophus grayii

Microlophus grayii
Male
Female
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Tropiduridae
Genus:	Microlophus
Species:	M. grayii
Binomial name
Microlophus grayii (Bell, 1843)
Synonyms [2]
Leiocephalus grayii Bell, 1843 Tropidurus (Craniopeltis) grayii — W. Peters, 1871 Leiocephalus grayii — Günther, 1877 Tropidurus grayi — Boulenger, 1885 Tropidurus delanonis Baur, 1890 Tropidurus duncanensis Baur, 1890 Microlophus grayii — Frost, 1992

Microlophus grayii, also commonly known as the Floreana lava lizard, Gray's lava lizard, and Gray's Pacific iguana, is a species of lava lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is endemic to the Galapagos island of Floreana. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species, Microlophus grayii, is commonly assigned to the genus Microlophus but has been assigned to the genus Tropidurus . ^[2] It has also been assigned to the family Tropiduridae. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, grayii, is in honor of British herpetologist John Edward Gray. ^[4]

Geographic range

M. grayii is found on Floreana Island including its islets Champion and Gardner, in the Galapagos, Ecuador. ^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. grayii is shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 640 m (2,100 ft), but it has also been found in urban areas. ^[1]

Reproduction

M. grayii is oviparous. ^[2]

References

1. Márquez C, Cisneros-Heredia DF (2016). "Microlophus grayii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T48444750A48444762.en. Accessed on 17 September 2023.
2. Microlophus grayii. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
3. Benavides, Edgar; Baum, Rebecca; Snell, Heidi M.; Snell, Howard L.; Sites, Jack W., Jr. (2009). "Island Biogeography of Galápagos Lava Lizards (Tropiduridae: Microlophus): Species Diversity and Colonization of the Archipelago". Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) Evolution63 (6): 1606–1626.
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Microlophus grayii, p. 107).

Further reading

• Bell T (1843). The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832 to 1836. Edited and Superintended by Charles Darwin ... Naturalist to the Expedition. Part 5. Reptiles. London: Smith, Elder and Company. vi + 51 pp. + Plates 1-20. (Leiocephalus grayii, new species, p. 24 + Plate 14, figure 1). (in English and Latin).
• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Tropidurus grayi, pp. 172–173).
• Frost DR (1992). "Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomy of the Tropidurus Group of Lizards (Iguania: Tropiduridae)". American Museum Novitates (3033): 1-68. (Microlophus grayii, p. 48).