Ctenosaura
Encyclopedia
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
commonly known as spinytail iguanas. The genus is part of the large lizard family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Iguanidae
Iguanidae
Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
and is native to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The species range in size (total length, including the tail) from about 5 inches to well over one meter. The distinctive feature of this genus is presence of the enlarged, spiny scales on the tail. Ctenousaurs are generally omnivorous
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, feeding on fruits, flowers, foliage, and small animals. Some members of this genus are popular as pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s. At least two species, Ctenosaura pectinata
Ctenosaura pectinata
The Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana is a moderate sized lizard native to western Mexico from mid-Sinaloa to south Oaxaca, but it has been introduced to the United States in the very southern tip of the state of Texas and in the state of Florida.-Taxonomy:The Mexican Spinytail Iguana was first...
and Ctenosaura similis
Ctenosaura similis
The Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Black Iguana, or Black Ctenosaur is a lizard native to Mexico and Central America that has been introduced to the United States in the state of Florida...
, have been introduced into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
.
The world record sprint speed for lizards (21.5 miles/h or 34.6 km/h) was attained by the Costa Rican spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis).
Species
The genus Ctenosaura represents the most diverse group of iguanasIguanidae
Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
with 15 currently recognized and at least two unrecognized species. These species inhabit lowland (below 1200 m elevation) dry forests on both coasts of Mexico and Central America. All species of Ctenosaura fall within one of seven clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
s. Distributions of these clades fall geographically within well established areas. Closely related species show allopatry whereas species from divergent clades show sympatry
Sympatry
In biology, two species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus regularly encounter one another. An initially-interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sharing a common range exemplifies sympatric speciation...
.
| Species | Common name | Authority | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctenosaura acanthura Ctenosaura acanthura The Northeastern Spinytail Iguana ' is a lizard in the genus Ctenosaura native to Mexico.- Taxonomy :The Northeastern Spinytail Iguana was first described by British zoologist George Shaw in 1802... |
Northeastern Spinytail Iguana | Shaw George Shaw George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University... , 1802 |
Eastern Mexico |
| Ctenosaura alfredschmidti | Campeche Spinytail Iguana | Köhler, 1995 | Mexico and Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... |
| Ctenosaura bakeri | Baker's Spinytail Iguana | Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.... , 1901 |
Utila Útila Utila is the third largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world... island off Honduras Honduras Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize... |
| Ctenosaura clarki | Balsas Armed Lizard | Bailey, 1928 | Western Mexico |
| Ctenosaura conspicuosa | San Esteban Iguana | Grismer Grismer The Grismer Tire Company is a medium-sized automotive repair company. It has three locations in the Columbus, Ohio area, one just north of Cincinnati, Ohio in Fairfield, and the remaining 19 in Dayton. Grismer Tire has been selling Firestone tires since its founding in 1932... , 1999 |
San Estiban Island, Gulf of California |
| Ctenosaura defensor | Yucatán Spinytail Iguana | Cope Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen... , 1866 |
Southern Mexico |
| Ctenosaura flavidorsalis | Yellowback Spinytail Iguana | Köhler & Klemmer, 1994 | Honduras, El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America... , and Guatemala |
| Ctenosaura hemilopha Ctenosaura hemilopha Ctenosaura hemilopha, also known as the Cape Spinytail Iguana , is a species of spinytail iguana endemic to Baja California. It is arboreal and primarily herbivorous, although it can be an opportunistic carnivore. Males may grow up to in length, while females are smaller, with a length of up to... |
Cape Spinytail Iguana | Cope Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen... , 1863 |
Southern half of Baja Mexico |
| Ctenosaura macrolopha | Sonora Black Iguana | Grismer Grismer The Grismer Tire Company is a medium-sized automotive repair company. It has three locations in the Columbus, Ohio area, one just north of Cincinnati, Ohio in Fairfield, and the remaining 19 in Dayton. Grismer Tire has been selling Firestone tires since its founding in 1932... , 1999 |
Sonora Mexico |
| Ctenosaura melanosterna | Honduran Paleate Spinytail Iguana | Buckley & Axtell, 1997 | Honduras |
| Ctenosaura nolascensis | San Pedro Nolasco Iguana | Grismer Grismer The Grismer Tire Company is a medium-sized automotive repair company. It has three locations in the Columbus, Ohio area, one just north of Cincinnati, Ohio in Fairfield, and the remaining 19 in Dayton. Grismer Tire has been selling Firestone tires since its founding in 1932... , 1999 |
San Pedro Nolasco Island, Gulf of California |
| Ctenosaura oaxacana | Oaxacan Spinytail Iguana | Köhler & Hasbun, 2001 | Oaxaca Oaxaca Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions... , Mexico |
| Ctenosaura oedirhina | Roatán Spinytail Iguana | de Queiroz, 1987 | Roatán Roatán Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan... , Honduras |
| Ctenosaura palearis | Guatemalan Spinytail Iguana | Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.... , 1899 |
Guatemala |
| Ctenosaura pectinata Ctenosaura pectinata The Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguana is a moderate sized lizard native to western Mexico from mid-Sinaloa to south Oaxaca, but it has been introduced to the United States in the very southern tip of the state of Texas and in the state of Florida.-Taxonomy:The Mexican Spinytail Iguana was first... |
Mexican Spinytail Iguana | Wiegmann Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann was a German zoologist. He studied medicine and philology at the University of Leipzig, and afterwards was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein in Berlin... , 1834 |
Western Mexico. Introduced to the US in Texas and Florida. |
| Ctenosaura praeocularis | Honduran Club Tail Iguana | Hasbún & Köhler, 2009 | SE Honduras |
| Ctenosaura quinquecarinata | Club Tail Iguana | Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1842 |
Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean... and Costa Rica Costa Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... . |
| Ctenosaura similis Ctenosaura similis The Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Black Iguana, or Black Ctenosaur is a lizard native to Mexico and Central America that has been introduced to the United States in the state of Florida... |
Black Spinytail Iguana | Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1831 |
Mexico, Central America, and Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... . Introduced to the US in Florida. |