Microlophus peruvianus (LESSON, 1830)
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Microlophus peruvianus
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| Higher Taxa | Tropiduridae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Microlophus peruvianus salinicola (MERTENS 1956) Microlophus peruvianus peruvianus (LESSON 1830) |
| Common Names | E: Peru Pacific Iguana G: Peru-Wüstenkielschwanzleguan |
| Synonym | Stellio peruvianus LESSON 1830: 40 Lophyrus araucanus LESSON 1830: 39 (fide ORTIZ-ZAPATA 1980) Tropidurus microlophus WIEGMANN 1834: 223 Steirolepis microlophus — FITZINGER 1843 Steirolepis peruviana — FITZINGER 1843 Steirolepis xanthostigma TSCHUDI 1845 Microlophus inguinalis — COPE 1876: 36 Microlophus peruvianus — COPE 1876: 36 Tropidurus peruvianus — BOULENGER 1885: 174 Tropidurus (Microlophus) peruvianus — STEINDACHNER 1902: 100 Tropidurus — PETERS et al. 1970: 267 Tropidurus peruvianus — DIXON & WRIGHT 1975: 3 Microlophus peruvianus — FROST 1992 Microlophus peruvianus — SCHLÜTER 2002 Microlophus peruvianus salinicola (MERTENS 1956) Tropidurus peruvianus salinicola MERTENS 1956: 108 |
| Distribution | SW Ecuador, W Peru Type locality: Callao and Payta, Peru. |
| Reproduction | oviparous. The clutch sizes of northern sample are 3 to 5 (4.1) eggs, salinicola. 2 to 3 (2.3) eggs, and peruvianus, 2 to 5 (3.5) eggs. |
| Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 6873 Holotype: SMF 50217, male [salinicola] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Following Frost et al. (2001) and Carvalho et al. (202X). (1) head relatively small, body and tail not compressed latero-laterally; (2) body not extremely flattened dorso-ventrally; (3) skull not highly elevated at the level of the orbits; (4) premaxilla not broad; (5) nutritive foramina of maxilla not striking enlarged; (6) lingual process of dentary absent, not extending over lingual dentary process of coronoid; (7) angular not strongly reduced; (8) medial centrale present; (9) sternal fontanelle present; (10) circumorbitals distinct from other small supraorbital scales; (11) one enlarged subocular plus one (occasionally divided) preocular; (12) well-defined postmental scale series; (13) antegular fold present or absent; (14) projecting tufts of elongate, spiny scales on the neck absent; (15) dorsal background gray, brown, or olive; (16) dorsals keeled, ventrals smooth; (17) enlarged middorsal scale row forming a dorsal crest (except in part of the M. peruvianus group: M. atacamensis, M. heterolepis, M. quadrivittatus, M. theresiae); (18) “flash” marks on pre-cloacal region and underneath thighs of males absent; (19) tail autotomic, terete, not strongly mucronate; (20) fourth finger longer than third; (21) lateral fringe not developed on both sides of fourth toes; (22) hemipenes with apical disks (except in M. koeckeorum); (23) rupicolous or psammophilous (based on Frost 1992: 48, modified by O. Torres-Carvajal, pers. comm. 2021). Diagnosis: Tropidurus peruvianus is distinguished from members of the occipitalis group by having small, granular dorsolateral scales, rather than large, keeled and imbricate dorsolateral scales. Within the peruvianus group, peruvianus is distinguished from Ihoracicus by the presence of one row of scales between the nostril scale and the first labial and bold black chevrons on the throat in males, rather than two or more rows of scales between the nasal scale and the first labial and no distinct black chevrons on the throat of males; from Iheresiae by the presence of an enlarged vertebral row of scales and the absence of an orange-red eye ring; from tigris by having distinct black throat chevrons in males and small scales on the upper arm without free projecting spines, rather than distinct black, transverse rows of spots on the throat of males and large scales on the upper arm with free projecting spines at the posterior tip. |
| Comment | Subspecies: Peters et al. (1970) listed 9 subspecies, many of which have been elevated to full species status since then. The status of salinicola is unclear to us. Habitat: rock cliffs, bluffs, outcrops, mud cliffs, salt crust beaches, sand dunes, and sand flats, with or without vegetation. Type species: Microlophus Lessoni DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837 is the type species of the genus Microlophus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837. Phylogenetics: for a phylogeny of Microlophus see Benavides et al. 2007 and Torres-Carvajal et al. 2021. |
| Etymology | The species was named after its distribution in Peru. The genus is probably named after the (relatively) small (”micro”) spines on the neck and back on this and other species. From Greek “lophos” = neck, hair tuft, tip (or mountain top), (probably) referring to the dorsal spines. |
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