Uranoscodon

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Uranoscodon
U. superciliaris1.jpg
U. superciliaris2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Tropiduridae
Genus: Uranoscodon
Kaup, 1825
Species:
U. superciliosus
Binomial name
Uranoscodon superciliosus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms [2]
  • Lacerta superciliosaLinnaeus, 1758
  • Iguana superciliosa(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Agama stellaris Daudin, 1802
  • Agama tigrina Merrem, 1820
  • Lophyrus xiphosurus Spix, 1825
  • Lophyrus aureonitensSpix, 1825
  • Ophryessa superciliosa(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Ophryessa aureonitens Boie, 1825
  • Hypsibatus (Ophryoessa) superciliosa(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Tropidurus superciliosa(Linnaeus, 1758)

Uranoscodon is a monotypic genus of iguanomorph lizard belonging to the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its sole member, Uranoscodon superciliosus, is commonly known as the diving lizard, brown tree climber or mophead iguana. It is found near water in the Amazon rainforest of South America.

Contents

Taxonomy

Uranoscodon was first described as a genus in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup, its only species being Lacerta superciliosa which had been described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae published in 1758. Linnaeus gave the type locality as "Indiis", however, in 1973 this was narrowed down to the confluence of the Cottica River and Perica Creek in Suriname. [3] The genus Uranoscodon is classified within the family Tropiduridae which, [2] in turn, is within the clade Iguanoidea within the infraorder Iguanomorpha, which is also known as Iguania. [4]

Description

Uranoscodon superciliosus has a relatively small head, with a body and tail which show latero-lateral compression but it is not extremely flattened. [2] It has a relatively long tail and legs. The overall colour is brown. [5] There is a frill around the heads of adults which gives rise to the common name mop-headed iguana. [6] The snout-vent length is up to c.16 cm (6.3 in) with the tail being twice as long; sexual maturity is reached at a snout-vent length of 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in). [7]

Distribution and habitat

Uranoscodon superciliosus is found in the Amazonian regions of Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, eastern Venezuela, eastern Colombia, Bolivia and northeastern Peru. However, in Peru it is known only a single locality near to the Colombian/Brazilian border and it has not been recorded in Ecuador. [1] This species occurs in igapó and várzea flood forests and in riparian areas of terre firme forests, i.e. forests not subjected to seasonal flooding. [8]

Biology

Uranoscodon superciliosus spends most of its time on tree trunks and is largely insectivorous. It is an ambush predator which feeds mainly on orthopterans, cockroaches, earthworms and caterpillars, as well small vertebrates like frogs. They seem to eat the largest amount of larvae around the period of peak egg laying in July to November. When threatened these lizards are known to dive into water. [9] They lay up to 16 eggs and are known to nest in burrows or in tree hollows. [8]

Utilisation

Uranoscodon superciliosus is occasionally traded in the pet trade. [10] In Brazil these lizards are hunted illegally to be used in Umbanda ceremonies to treat impotence. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iguanidae</span> Family of lizards

The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana.

<i>Ctenosaura</i> Genus of lizards

Ctenosaura is a lizard genus commonly known as spinytail iguanas or ctenosaurs. The genus is part of the large lizard family Iguanidae and is native to Mexico and Central America. The name is derived from two Greek words: κτενός, meaning "comb", and σαύρα, meaning "lizard".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert iguana</span> Species of lizard

The desert iguana is an iguana species found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, as well as on several Gulf of California islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iguanomorpha</span> Infraorder of lizards

Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most iguanians are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. Today they are scattered occurring in Madagascar, the Fiji and Friendly Islands and Western Hemisphere.

<i>Draco norvillii</i> Species of lizard

Draco norvillii, also known as Norvill's flying lizard, is species of agamid flying lizard endemic to India. This species is capable of gliding from tree to tree, and has been recorded gliding up to 50 metres (160 ft). It feeds on insects and other small invertebrates.

<i>Ctenosaura oedirhina</i> Species of lizard

Ctenosaura oedirhina, commonly known as the Roatán spiny-tailed iguana or de Queiroz's spiny-tailed iguana, is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is endemic to Honduras, on the island of Roatán in the Caribbean, to which one of its common names refers. The Roatán iguana is a medium sized iguana with a rounded snout, short crest scales, and a snout-vent length ranging from 151 to 325mm.

<i>Stenocercus</i> Genus of lizards

Stenocercus is a genus of South American lizards, commonly called whorltail iguanas, of the family Tropiduridae. This genus has 80 valid described species.

<i>Iguana</i> Reptile genus of herbivorous lizards

Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena. Three species are placed in the genus: the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, the marine iguana and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles. Genetic analysis indicates that the green iguana may comprise a complex of multiple species, some of which have been recently described, but the Reptile Database considers all of these as subspecies of the green iguana.

<i>Liolaemus chiliensis</i> Species of reptile

Liolaemus chiliensis is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae, also referred to as the weeping or crying lizard in English. Synonyms for this species include Liodeira chilensis and Calotes chiliensis. Less commonly, it is called the Talcahuano Smooth-throated Lizard.

<i>Enyalioides laticeps</i> Species of lizard

Enyalioides laticeps, the Amazon broad-headed wood lizard, is a dwarf iguanian lizard abundantly found in Amazonian rainforests. They are semi-arboreal and mostly live in forests. Other names for it include broad-headed wood lizards, Big-headed stick lizards, Guichenot's Dwarf Iguana, Amazon Forest Dragon, or Amazon Dwarf-Iguana. It is a small, ornamented lizard that grows up to 157 mm (0.5 ft) long and have very high vertebral crests along their backs. They change colors based on environmental factors. Amazon broad-headed wood lizards rely on rapid running to move around; however, they spend the vast majority of their time motionless, blending into the rainforest background, and ambushing prey. When attacked by predators, E. laticeps may stay motionless like a wood stick to avoid predation. When found by predators, it may suddenly spring into motion, quickly reatreting to burrows in the ground. 

The green thornytail iguana is an arboreal species of lizard from the Amazon rainforest and forests in the Guiana Shield. It is found in Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, northeastern Peru, southern Venezuela, and northern Brazil. As in U. flaviceps, U. azureum primarily feeds on ants.

<i>Microlophus occipitalis</i> Species of lizard

Microlophus occipitalis, colloquially known as the knobbed Pacific iguana, is a lizard included within the Tropiduridae family. It is a member of the Microlophus genus and thus also considered a lava lizard. The knobbed Pacific iguana is found primarily in Western Peru and Ecuador, lining the coasts. The habitats of the knobbed Pacific iguana can be considered to be both broad and diverse as they are typically found in many different places such as beaches, lomas, and all the way to desert regions. This diversity is furthered as these lizards can also be found in open areas, between rocks, or bushes.

<i>Tropidurus torquatus</i> Species of lizard

Tropidurus torquatus is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common name is Amazon lava lizard. The species is endemic to South America. There are no subspecies.

<i>Plica plica</i> Species of lizard

Plica plica is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common names include collared tree lizard, collared tree runner,tree runner, and harlequin racerunner. In Guyana it is known as wakanama.

<i>Barbaturex</i> Extinct genus of lizards

Barbaturex is an extinct genus of giant herbivorous iguanian lizards from Pondaung Formation, the Eocene of Myanmar. It is represented by a single species, Barbaturex morrisoni, which is known from several partial dentaries and a fused pair of frontals, two bones that form part of the top of the skull. Based on the size of these bones, Barbaturex morrisoni is estimated to have been about 1 metre (3.3 ft) from snout to vent, and possibly up to 6 feet (1.8 m) including the tail. Barbaturex morrisoni was named after The Doors frontman Jim Morrison, a play on his epithet "The Lizard King". The genus's name is a portmanteau of the Latin words Barbatus and rex, meaning "bearded king", in reference to ridges along the mandible and the lizard's large size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamaeleontiformes</span> Clade of lizards

Chamaeleontiformes is a hypothesized clade of iguanian lizards defined as all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with Chamaeleo chamaeleon than with Hoplocercus spinosus, Polychrus marmoratus, or Iguana iguana. It was named by paleontologist Jack Conrad in 2008 to describe a clade recovered in his phylogenetic analysis that included the extinct genus Isodontosaurus, the extinct family Priscagamidae, and the living clade Acrodonta, which includes agamids and chameleons. It is a stem-based taxon and one of two major clades within Iguania, the other being Pleurodonta. Below is a cladogram from Daza et al. (2012) showing this phylogeny:

Enyalius boulengeri, also known commonly as the Brazilian fathead anole, is a species of lizard in the family Leiosauridae. The species is endemic to Brazil.

Stenocercus festae, also known commonly as Peracca's whorltail iguana and Peracca's whorl-tailed iguana, is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is endemic to Ecuador.

Tropidurus helenae is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is native to northeastern Brazil.

References

  1. 1 2 Páez, V.; Daza, J.; Perez, P.; et al. (2019). "Uranoscodon superciliosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T44579997A44580002. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T44579997A44580002.en . Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Uranoscodon superciliosus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 April 2022.
  3. "Uranoscodon superciliosus". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. Daza, Juan; Abdala, Virginia; Arias, J. Salvador; García-López, Daniel & Ortiz, Pablo (2012). "Cladistic analysis of Iguania and a fossil lizard from the Late Pliocene of northwestern Argentina". Journal of Herpetology. 46: 104–119. doi:10.1670/10-112. hdl: 11336/61054 .
  5. "Mophead Iguana". Jungle Dragon. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  6. "Uranoscodon superciliosus — Diving Lizard". Wild Herps. John Sullivan. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  7. Gasnier, T.R.; Magnusson, W.E.; Waichman, A.V. (1997). "Growth curve shape and growth variation of the tropical lizard Uranoscodon superciliosus (Sauria: Tropiduridae)". Ecotropica. 3: 101–107.
  8. 1 2 Igor Joventino Roberto; Ildean Fernandez da Silva; Amanda Maria Picelli; et al. (2019). "Uranoscodon superciliosus (Diving Lizard) Reproduction". Herpetological Review. 50 (1): 146–147.
  9. 1 2 Zilca Campos and William Magnusson (2010). "Hunting Tamacoré, Uranoscodon superciliosus". IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians. 17 (1): 38–39.
  10. "Brown Tree Climber Uranoscodon superciliosus". exotic-pets.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.