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Dracaena guianensis DAUDIN, 1801

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Higher TaxaTeiidae, Tupinambinae, Gymnophthalmoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Northern Caiman Lizard, Guyana Caiman Lizard
Portuguese: Cabeça-Encarnada, Jacarerana, Jacaruxi, Jacuruxi, Lagarto-Jacaré 
SynonymDracaena guianensis DAUDIN 1801: 421
Teius crocodilurus MERREM 1820: 62
? Thorictes Dracaena — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 56
Dracaena guianensis — BOULENGER 1885: 338
Dracaena guianensis — VANZOLINI & VALENCIA 1966: 15
Dracaena guianensis — PETERS et al. 1970: 111
Dracaena guianensis — MASSARY et al. 2000
Dracaenea guianensis — GRINHAM 2020 (in error) 
DistributionBrazil (Amazonas, Maranhao, Amapa, Acre)
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname ?, French Guiana

Type locality: “Cayenne” [French Guiana] (not “Amapa” fide MASSARY et al. 2000).  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: RMNH 28888 (stuffed specimen) and MNHN-AC (comparative anatomy) 2002.0242 (head skull of the same stuffed specimen of Leiden) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Dracaena is the only genus of Teiidae with subterminal lenticular scale organs positioned atop the prominently keeled ventrals and a complete interangular sulcus containing small granular scales. The combination of two loreals, a laterally compressed tail, and heterogeneous dorsals consisting of large keeled scales surrounded by smaller scales immediately distinguishes Dracaena from all other Teiidae. 
CommentType species: Dracaena guianensis Daudin is the type species of the genus Dracaena Daudin 1801. Note that there is also a genus of trees of the same name.

Distribution: Apparently not present in NE-Brazil. Probably also in Bolivia (fide LANGSTROTH 2005). Reports from French Guiana may be erroneous (HOOGMOED & LESCURE 1975). Not in Guyana fide Cole et al. 2013: 471.

Synonymy mostly after Peters et al. 1970. DAUDIN apparently described the same specimen that has been mentioned by LACÉPÈDE (1788) as Lacerta Dracoena (fide PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970).

Comparisons: Presch 1974: 24 compares character states across the genera Ameiva, Cnemidophorus, Kentropyx, Dicrodon, Teius, Callopistes, Tupinambis, Crocodilurus, and Dracaena.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after its origin in French Guiana. 
References
  • Akeret, Beat 2011. Paludarien und Aquaterrarien – eine kurze Einführung in die Thematik. Draco 12 (46): 4-21 - get paper here
  • Antonini R, Kainradl R, Gumpenberger M, Weissenbacher A, Preininger D 2023. Sexual dimorphism in postcloacal scales in the northern caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis). Herpetozoa 36: 263-272 - get paper here
  • Arteaga, A.; Bustamante, L.; Vieira, J. 2024. Reptiles of Ecuador. Khamai Foundation & Tropical Herping, 1073 pp. - get paper here
  • Avila-Pires, T.C.S. 1995. Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen 299: 1-706 - get paper here
  • Avila-Pires, Teresa C.S.; Kleiton R. Alves-Silva, Laís Barbosa, Fabrício S. Correa, Jorge F. A. Cosenza, Ana Paula V. Costa-Rodrigues, Aurea A. Cronemberger, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Geraldo R. Lima-Filho, Adriano O. Maciel, Alexandre F. R. Missassi, Lyw 2018. Changes in Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Over Time in Parque Estadual do Utinga, a Protected Area Surrounded by Urbanization. Herpetology Notes 11: 499-512 - 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
  • CATENAZZI, A., LEHR, E. & VON MAY, R. 2013. The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru. Biota Neotropica 13 (4): 269-283
  • Crnobrna B, Santa-Cruz Farfan R, Gallegos C, López-Rojas JJ, Llanqui IB, Pisco GP, Arbaiza AK 2023. Herpetological records from the Abujao basin, central Peruvian Amazon. Check List 19(4): 433-465 - get paper here
  • Daudin, F. M. 1801. Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Reptiles; ouvrage faisant suit à l'Histoire naturell générale et particulière, composée par Leclerc de Buffon; et rédigee par C.S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Vol. 2. F. Dufart, Paris, 432 pp. [publication date fide Harper 1940] - get paper here
  • Dixon, J. R.; Soini, P. 1975. The reptiles of the upper Amazon basin, Iquitos region, Peru, Part I. Lizards and Amphisbaenians. Milwaukee Public Museum Contributions in Biology and Geology 4: 1-58 [1986?] - get paper here
  • Duellman, W. E. 2005. Cusco Amazónico: The Lives of Amphibians and Reptiles in an Amazonian Rainforest. Comstock Pub Assoc.
  • Duellman, W.E., & Salas, A.W. 1991. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Cuzco Amazonico, Peru. Occas. Papers Mus. of Natur. Hist., Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence (143): 13 pp. - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here
  • Estes, Richard and Ernest E. Williams 1984. Ontogenetic Variation in the Molariform Teeth of Lizards. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 4 (1): 96-107 - get paper here
  • Gonzalez R. C. et al. 2020. Lista dos Nomes Populares dos Répteis no Brasil – Primeira Versão. Herpetologia Brasileira 9 (2): 121 – 214 - get paper here
  • Grinham, Luke R. 2020. The ecomorphology of facultative bipedality in Lepidosauria: implications for the evolution of reptilian bipedality. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, - get paper here
  • Haeberle, H. 1979. Der Panzerteju, Dracaena guianensis. DATZ 1979: 28-29
  • Harper, Francis 1940. Some works of Bartram, Daudin, Latreille, and Sonnini, and their bearing upon North American herpetological nomenclature. American Midland Naturalist 23 (3): 692-723 - get paper here
  • HARVEY, MICHAEL B.; GABRIEL N. UGUETO & RONALD L. GUTBERLET, Jr. 2012. Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata). Zootaxa 3459: 1–156 - get paper here
  • Hoogmoed, M.S., & Lescure, J. 1975. An annotated checklist of the lizards of French Guiana, mainly based on two recent collections. Zoologische Mededelingen 49(13): 141-172. - get paper here
  • Lacépède, B. G. E. 1788. Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupe des Ovipares et des Serpens. Vol.1. Imprimerie du Roi, Hôtel de Thou, Paris, xvii + 651 pp. - get paper here
  • Langstroth, R.P. 2005. Adiciones probables y confirmadas para la saurofauna boliviana. Kempffiana 1 (1): 101-128
  • Massary, J. C. de; Hoogmoed,M.S. & Blanc,M. 2000. Comments on the type specimen of Dracaena guianensis Daudin 1801 (Reptilia: Sauria: Teiidae), and rediscovery of the species in French Guiana. Zoologische Mededelingen 74: 167-180 - get paper here
  • Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg, 191 pp. - get paper here
  • Preininger, Doris; Manuela Sirny, Eveline Dungl & Anton Weissenbacher 2016. Der Krokodilteju (Dracaena guianensis) im Tiergarten Schönbrunn. Terraria-Elaphe 2016 (2): 26-32 - get paper here
  • Presch, William 1974. Evolutionary relationships and biogeography of the macroteiid lizards (Family Teiidae, Subfamily Teiinae). Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 73 (1): 23-32 - get paper here
  • Prudente, A.L.C.; F. Magalhães; A. Menks; J.F.M. Sarmento. 2013. Checklist of Lizards of the Juruti, state of Pará, Brazil. Check List 9 (1):42-50 - get paper here
  • Rabosky, Daniel L.; Rudolf von May, Michael C. Grundler and Alison R. Davis Rabosky 2019. The Western Amazonian Richness Gradient for Squamate Reptiles: Are There Really Fewer Snakes and Lizards in Southwestern Amazonian Lowlands? Diversity 11: 199; doi:10.3390/d11100199 - get paper here
  • Rand, A.S. 1964. An observation on Dracaena guianensis foraging underwater Herpetologica 20 (3): 207. - get paper here
  • RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR, MARCO A., SILVANA AMARAL 2016. Catalogue of distribution of lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Brazilian Amazonia. III. Anguidae, Scincidae, Teiidae. Zootaxa 4205 (5): 401–430 - get paper here
  • Ribeiro-Júnior, Marco A. & Silvana Amaral 2016. Diversity, distribution, and conservation of lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) in the Brazilian Amazonia. Neotropical Biodiversity, 2:1, 195-421 - get paper here
  • Switak, K.-H. 2014. Den mächtigen Amazonas entlang. Im herpetologischen Paradies. Reptilia (Münster) 19 (108): 76-85
  • Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D. 2019. Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with a dynamic checklist and photographic guides. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1): [General Section]: 209–229 (e178) - get paper here
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Vanzolini, P. E. 1961. Notas bionomicas sóbre Dracaena guianensis no Pará (Sauria, Teiidae). Papéis Avulsos Zoologia (São Paulo) 14 (25): 237-241 - get paper here
  • Vanzolini,P.E. & Valencia,J. 1966. The genus Dracaena, with a brief consideration of macroteiid relationships (Sauria, Teiidae). Arquivos de Zoologia 13 [1965]: 7-35 [1965]
  • Waldez, F., Menin, M., & Vogt, R. C. 2013. Diversidade de anfíbios e répteis Squamata na região do baixo rio Purus, Amazônia Central, Brasil. Biota Neotropica, 13: 300–316 - get paper here
  • Werning, H. 2010. Ein Stück Natur im Wohnzimmer. Reptilia (Münster) 15 (84): 16-23 - get paper here
 
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