You are here » home › advanced search › Corytophanes cristatus

Corytophanes cristatus (MERREM, 1820)

iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Corytophanes cristatus?

Add your own observation of
Corytophanes cristatus »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaCorytophanidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Smooth Helmeted Lizard, Smooth Helmeted Iguana
G: Helmleguan
S: Turipache Selvático 
SynonymAgama cristata MERREM 1820: 50
Corytophanes cristatus — BOIE in SCHLEGEL 1827
Corytophanes cristatus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 174
Corytophanes cristatus — BOULENGER 1885: 101
Corytophanes cristatus — SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 69
Corytophanes cristatus — TAYLOR 1956: 161
Corythophanes cristatus — ORTLEB & HEATWOLE 1965 (in error)
Corytophanes cristatus — PETERS et al. 1970: 101
Corytophanes cristatus — LINER 1994
Corytophanes cristatus — KÖHLER 2000: 74
Corythophanes cristatus — RIOS et al. 2011 (in error)
Corytophanes cristatus — MCCRANIE 2018
Corytophanes cristatus — HEIMES 2022 
DistributionMexico (Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas), Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador ?, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia (Chocó); elevation: 600-800 m

Type locality: Ceylon (in error). Restricted to Orizaba, Veracruz by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: unknown fide SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 69 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Corytophanes differs from all other corytophanid genera in possessing the following combination of character states: a) a parietal casque or helmet demarcated laterally by two sharply raised ridges of rectangular scales runing from above nostrils posteriorly and fusing in the occipital region to form b) a longitudinal nuchal serrate crest of greatly enlarged scales continuing as a middorsal crest all along body; c) anterior superciliary scales quadrangular, flat, non-overlapping; d) an extensible, sac-like gular fan; e) lateral body scales heterogeneous; f) no articulated scaly lateral fringes along toes; g) subdigital lamellae with a single keel that may be tuberculate (knob-like) on some lamellae; h) no caudal autotomy septa, no caudal autotomy (S. Lotzkat, pers. comm., 2021) 
CommentDistribution: not in Yucatan state (Mexico) according to GONZÁLEZ-SÁNCHEZ et al. 2017. Not listed for El Salvador by KÖHLER (2000).

Relative abundance in Honduras: infrequent

Type Species: Agama cristata MERREM 1820 is the type species of the genus Corytophanes BOIE 1827. 
EtymologyThe name cristatus is Latin meaning ‘‘tufted, crested’’ and alludes to the distinctive crests in this species.

The genus name is derived from the Greek words korythos, meaning helmet and phaneros, meaning "visible or evident," in reference to the prominent head crest (Lemos-Espinal & Dixon 2013). 
References
  • Aguilar-López JL, Luría-Manzano R, Pineda E, Canseco-Márquez L 2021. Selva Zoque, Mexico: an important Mesoamerican tropical region for reptile species diversity and conservation. ZooKeys 1054: 127-153 - get paper here
  • Beyer, M. 2003. Haltung und Nachzucht von Corytophanes cristatus (MERREM 1821). Iguana Rundschreiben 16 (2): 23-29
  • Bonetti, Mathilde 2002. 100 Sauri. Mondadori (Milano), 192 pp. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2, Second edition. London, xiii+497 pp. - get paper here
  • Breen, J. F. 1974. Encyclopedia of Amphibians and Reptiles. T.F.H. Publications, 576 pp.
  • Campbell, J.A. 1998. Amphibians and reptiles of northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, xiii + 380 pp. - get paper here
  • Carvajal-Cogollo, J.E.; L.E. Rojas-Murcia. & G. Cárdenas-Arévalo 2020. Reptiles del Caribe colombiano/ Reptiles of the Colombian Caribbean. Tunja: Editorial UPTC, 268 pp. - get paper here
  • Colston, Timothy J.; José António L. Barão-Nóbrega, Ryan Manders, Alice Lett, Jamie Wilmott, Gavin Cameron, Sidony Hunter, Adam Radage, Etienne Littlefair, Robert J. Williams, Antonio Lopez Cen, Kathy Slater 2015. Amphibians and reptiles of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, México, with new records. Check List 11 (5): 1759 - get paper here
  • Dost, W. 2005. Stichpunktartige Bemerkungen zu Pflege und zucht diverser Iguaniden. Iguana Rundschreiben 18 (1): 16-24
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1837. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol. 4. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris, 570 pp. - get paper here
  • Franzen 1999. Freilandbeobachtungen an einem Gelege von Corytophanes cristatus (Merrem, 1821) in Costa Rica. Herpetofauna 21 (122): 22-24 - get paper here
  • Fuentes, Rogemif; Aschcroft, Jesse; Erick Barría, Helio Quintero-Arrieta, Alexis Baules, Abel Batista, Eduardo Zambrano, Marcos Ponce 2023. Herpetological diversity in forests of Portobelo National Park, Colón Biological Corridor, Panama. Reptiles & Amphibians 30 (1): e18434 - get paper here
  • Gericke, F. 1983. Corytophanes cristatus, ein seltener Gast aus Mittelamerika. Sauria 5 (1): 21-24 - get paper here
  • González-Sánchez, V. H., J. D. Johnson, E. García-Padilla, V. Mata-Silva, D. L. DeSantis and L. D. Wilson. 2017. The Herpetofauna of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(2): 264–380 - get paper here
  • Hedges SB, Powell R, Henderson RW, Hanson S, and Murphy JC 2019. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology 67: 1–53
  • Heimes, P. 2022. LIZARDS OF MEXICO - Part 1 Iguanian lizards. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt Am Main, 448 pp. - get paper here
  • Hilje B, Chaves G, Klank J, Timmerman F, Feltham J, Gillingwater S, Piraino T, Rojas E 2020. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Tirimbina Biological Reserve: a baseline for conservation, research and environmental education in a lowland tropical wet forest in Costa Rica. Check List 16(6): 1633-1655 - get paper here
  • Johnson, Jerry D.; Vicente Mata-Silva, Elí García Padilla, and Larry David Wilson 2015. The Herpetofauna of Chiapas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (3): 272–329. - get paper here
  • Köhler, G. 2000. Reptilien und Amphibien Mittelamerikas, Bd 1: Krokodile, Schildkröten, Echsen. Herpeton Verlag, Offenbach, 158 pp.
  • Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd Ed. Herpeton-Verlag, 400 pp.
  • Köhler, G. & L. Mogk 2019. Nachzucht des Helmleguans Corytophanes cristatus. Reptilia (Münster) 24 (138): 30-35 - get paper here
  • Köhler, G. & Zebenzui Quintana, A. 2003. Eiablage bei Corytophanes cristatus in der Natur. Iguana Rundschreiben 16 (2): 21-22
  • Laking AE, Solís JM, Brown T, Maddock ST, Burdekin O, Taylor P, Lonsdale G, Green SEW, Martin TE, Galdamez JR, Kolby JE, Erens J, Jocque M 2024. The amphibians and reptiles of Cusuco National Park, Northwest Honduras: updates from a long-term conservation programme. In: Lipińska M, Lopez-Selva MM, Sierra JM (Eds) Biodiversity research in Central America. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 19(2): 37-62 - get paper here
  • Lazcano-Barrero, M.A. & E. Gongora-Arones 1993. Observation and Review of the Nesting and Egg-Laying of Corytophanes cristatus (Iguanidae) Bull. Maryland Herpetol. Soc., 29(2): 67-75. - get paper here
  • Lee, J. C. 2000. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Maya world. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
  • Lee, J.C. 1996. The amphibians and reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula. Comstock, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 500 pp.
  • Martínez-Fonseca JG, Holmes IA, Sunyer J, Westeen EP, Grundler MR, Cerda PA, Fernández-Mena MA, Loza-Molina JC, Monagan IV Jr., Nondorf D, Pandelis GG, Rabosky ARD 2023. A collection and analysis of amphibians and reptiles from Nicaragua with new country and departmental records. Check List 20(1): 58-125 - get paper here
  • McCranie, J. & Castañeda, F.E. 2005. The herpetofauna of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, Honduras. Phyllomedusa 4 (1): 3-16 - get paper here
  • McCranie, James R. 2015. A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with additions, comments on taxonomy, some recent taxonomic decisions, and areas of further studies needed. Zootaxa 3931 (3): 352–386 - get paper here
  • McCranie, James R. 2018. The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras. Systematics, Distribution, and Conservation. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Special Publication Series (2): 1- 666 - get paper here
  • Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg, 191 pp. - get paper here
  • Neill, Wilfred T. and E. Ross Allen. 1959. Studies on the amphibians and reptiles of British Honduras. Publications of the Research Division Ross Allen's Reptiles Institute. 2 (1): 1-76
  • Ortleb, Edward; Heatwole, Harold 1965. Comments on some Panamanian lizards with a key to the species from Barro Colorado Island, C.Z. and vicinity. Carib. J. Sci. 5 (3-4):141-147.
  • Páez, V.P. et al. 2002. Guía de campo de algunas especies de anfibios y reptiles de Antioquia. Universidad de Antioquia, - get paper here
  • Restrepo A, Molina-Zuluaga C, Hurtado JP, Marín CM, Daza JM 2017. Amphibians and reptiles from two localities in the northern Andes of Colombia. Check List 13 (4): 203-237 - get paper here
  • Ríos, E.E.; C.F. Hurtado P., J.T. Rengifo M., and F. Castro Herrera. 2011. LAGARTOS EN COMUNIDADES NATURALES DE DOS LOCALIDADES EN LA REGIÓN DEL CHOCÓ DE COLOMBIA. Herpetotropicos 5 (2): 85-92 - get paper here
  • Rojas-Morales, Julián Andrés, Héctor Fabio Arias-Monsalve y Gustavo A. González-Durán 2014. Anibios y reptiles de la región centro-sur del departamento de Caldas, Colombia. Biota Colombiana 15 (1): 73-93 - get paper here
  • Sandi5/24/2023Zúñiga, Jorge A.; Raby Nuñez 2023. Helmeted Basilisk (Corytophanes cristatus) predation by Red-eyed Tree Snake (Siphlophis compressus) in Rainmaker, Parrita, Costa Rica. Reptiles & Amphibians 30 (1): e18935 - get paper here
  • Santos-Barrera, Georgina; Jesus Pacheco, Fernando Mendoza-Quijano, Federico Bolaños,<br>Gerardo Cháves , Gretchen C. Daily, Paul R. Ehrlich & Gerardo Ceballos 2008. Diversity, natural history and conservation of amphibians and reptiles from the San Vito Region, southwestern Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (2): 755-778 - get paper here
  • Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. University of Chicago Press, 934 pp. [review in Copeia 2003 (1): 205]
  • Schwenk, K.;Sessions, S. K.;Seale, D. M. Peccinini 1982. Karyotypes of the basiliscine lizards Corytophanes cristatus and Corytophanes hernandesii, with comments on the relationship between chromosomal and morphological evolution in lizards. Herpetologica 38 (4): 493-501 - get paper here
  • Scott, N.J. 1976. The abundance and diversity of the herpetofaunas of tropical forest litter. Biotropica 8 (1): 41-58 - get paper here
  • Smith, H.M. & Taylor,E.H. 1950. An annotated checklist and key to the reptiles of Mexico exclusive of the snakes. Bull. US Natl. Mus. 199: 1-253 - get paper here
  • Solís, J. M., L. D. Wilson, and J. H. Townsend. 2014. An updated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with comments on their nomenclature. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1: 123–144 - get paper here
  • Stuart, L. C. 1935. A contribution to a knowledge of the herpetology of a portion of the savanna region of Central Peten, Guatemala. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Miscellaneous Publications 29: 1-56 - get paper here
  • Stuart, L. C. 1948. The amphibians and reptiles of Alta Verapaz Guatamala. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 69: 1-109 - get paper here
  • Stuart, L.C. 1963. A checklist of the herpetofauna of Guatemala. Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan (No. 122): 1-150 - get paper here
  • Sunyer, J., K.E. Nicholson, J.G. Phillips, J.A.Gubler, and L.A. Obando 2013. Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) of the Corn Islands, Caribbean Nicaragua. Check List 9: 1383–1390 - get paper here
  • Sunyer, Javier 2014. An updated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nicaragua. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1 (2): 186–202. - get paper here
  • Sunyer, Javier & José́ Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca 2023. An updated country checklist to the amphibians and reptiles of Nicaragua. REVISTA NICARAGÜENSE DE BIODIVERSIDAD (100): 1-25 - get paper here
  • Taylor, E. H. 1956. A review of the lizards of Costa Rica. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 38 (part 1): 3-322 - get paper here
  • Terán-Juárez, S. A., Alfaro-Reyna, T., Cámara-Castillo, R. G. & Tun-Xis, M. A. 2012. Geographic distribution: Corytophanes cristatus (smooth-headed helmeted basilisk). Herpetological Review 43: 445 - get paper here
  • Townsend, J. H., J. R. McCranie and L. D. Wilson. 2004. Corytophanes cristatus (Merrem). Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (789: 1-6 - get paper here
  • Townsend, J. H., J. R. McCranie and L. D. Wilson. 2004. Corytophanes. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (788): 1-4 - get paper here
  • Townsend, J. H., L. D. Wilson, M. Medina-Flores, E. Aguilar-Urbina, B. K. Atkinson et al. 2012. A premontane hotspot for herpetological endemism on the windward side of Refugio de Vida Silvestre Texíguat, Honduras. Salamandra 48 (2): 92-114 - get paper here
  • Triana-Ramírez, Diana Ivette, Barragán, María Del Rosario, Torrez-Pérez, Marco Antonio and Ríos-Rodas, Liliana 2016. Geographic Distribution: Corytophanes cristatus (Smooth-headed Helmeted Basilisk). Herpetological Review 47 (4): 627 - get paper here
  • Vieira, G. H. C., Colli, G. R. & Báo, S. N. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships of corytophanid lizards (Iguania, Squamata, Reptilia) based on partitioned and total evidence analyses of sperm morphology, gross morphology, and DNA data. Zoologica Scripta 34 (6): 605-625. - get paper here
  • Wagner, Philipp and Wolfgang Böhme 2009. On the Nomenclatural Status of Agama cristata Mocquard, 1905: A Reply to A. Barabanov (2008). Russ. J. Herpetol. 16 (2): 161-162 - get paper here
  • Weinbeer, N. 2016. Costa-Rica - Paradiesische Biodiversität zwischen Atlantik und Pazifik. Reptilia 21 (120): 72-78
  • Wirth, Michael 2011. Lohnende Reiseziele für Amphibien- und Reptilienfreunde in Costa Rica. Draco 12 (45): 22-39 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator