You are here » home › advanced search › search results › Melanosuchus niger

Melanosuchus niger (SPIX, 1825)

IUCN Red List - Melanosuchus niger - Least Concern, LR
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Melanosuchus niger?

Add your own observation of
Melanosuchus niger »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaAlligatoridae, Crocodylia, crocodiles (alligators)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Black caiman
Local names: Jacaré açu, Jacaré uassu, Jacaré assu, Jacaré guaçu, Caimán, Caimán negro, Jacaré jhu, Jacaré negro, Jacaré una, Cocodrilo.
G: Mohrenkaiman
Portuguese: Jacaré-Açú, Jacaré-Preto 
SynonymCaiman niger SPIX 1825: 3
Melanosuchus niger — KING & BURKE 1989
Caiman niger — POE 1996
Melanosuchus niger — ZUG et al. 2001: 462
Melanosuchus niger — MORATO et al. 2014: 146 
DistributionBolivia (Beni), Brazil (Amazonas, Pará), Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru

Type locality: "Fluminis Amazonium et Solimoens", Brazil.  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesLectotype: ZSM 2480,0 designated by Hoogmoed and Gruber 1983: 380; paralectotypes: ZSM 3,0 (now lost), 2480,0 and 3039,0. 
Diagnosis 
CommentDistribution: Erroneously reported from Paraguay (fide Scott et al. 1990). Not in Venezuela (KOK et al. 2012).

Type species: Caiman niger SPIX 1825: 3 is the type species of the genus Melanosuchus GRAY 1862: 328. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin niger, nigra, nigrum = black.

The genus was named after Greek melas (genitive melanos) = blacka and soukhos, the name for the crocodile in one part of Egypt (Gotch 1986). 
References
  • Betancourth-Cundar, Mileidy & Aquiles Gutiérrez Zamora 2010. ASPECTOS ECOLÓGICOS DE LA HERPETOFAUNA DEL CENTRO EXPERIMENTAL AMAZÓNICO, PUTUMAYO, COLOMBIA ECOTRÓPICOS 23 (2): 61-78 - get paper here
  • CAMPOS, ZILCA 2019. Disruption of reproductive behaviour of black caiman, Melanosuchus niger in the Santo Antônio hydroeletric dam, Madeira River, Brazilian Amazon. Herpetological Bulletin 147: - get paper here
  • Campos, Zilca; Fábio Muniz, William E Magnusson 2018. Where are the black caimans, Melanosuchus niger (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae), in the Xingu River basin, Brazil? Herpetology Notes 11: 1021-1024 - 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
  • Cole, Charles J.; Carol R. Townsend, Robert P. Reynolds, Ross D. MacCulloch, and Amy Lathrop 2013. Amphibians and reptiles of Guyana, South America: illustrated keys, annotated species accounts, and a biogeographic synopsis. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 125 (4): 317-578; plates: 580-620 - get paper here
  • Da Silveira, Ronis, João Valsecchi Do Amaral, William E. Magnusson and John B. Thorbjarnarson. 2011. Melanosuchus niger (black caiman) long distance movement. Herpetological Review 42 (3): 424-425 - get paper here
  • Da Silveira, Ronis; Zilca Campos, John Thorbjarnarson and Wiliam E. Magnusson. 2013. Growth rates of Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) fron two different Amazonian flooded habitats. Amphibia-Reptilia 34 (4): 437-449 - get paper here
  • Dinets, Vladimir. 2011. Melanosuchus niger (black caiman) signaling behavior. Herpetological Review 42 (3): 424 - 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
  • Eversole, C. B., Powell, R. L., Rivas, L. R., & Lizarro, D. E. 2024. Reptile Biodiversity and Vulnerability in Bolivia’s Beni Department: Informing Conservation Priorities in a Neglected Frontier. Diversity, 16(6), 335 - get paper here
  • Foth, Christian; Paula Bona and Julia B. Desojo 2013. Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae). Acta Zool. 96 (1): DOI: 10.1111/azo.12045 [2015] - get paper here
  • Göldi, E.A. 1900. Hufförmige Verbreiterungen an den Krallen von Crocodilembryonen. Zool. Anz. 23: 149-151 - 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
  • Gotch, A. F. 1986. Reptiles - Their Latin Names Explained. Blndford Press, 176 pp.
  • Gray, J. E. 1862. A synopsis of the species of Alligators. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (3)10 : 327-331 - get paper here
  • Herron, J.C. 1994. Body Size, Spatial Distribution, and Microhabitat Use in the Caimans, Melanosuchus niger and Caiman crocodilus, in a Peruvian Lake Journal of Herpetology 28 (4): 508-513. - get paper here
  • Herron, J.C., L.H. Emmons & J.E. Cadle 1990. Observations on Reproduction in the Black Caiman, Melanosuchus niger Journal of Herpetology 24 (3): 314-316. - get paper here
  • Hoogmoed,M.S. and Gruber,U. 1983. Spix and Wagler type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the Natural History Musea in Munich (Germany) and Leiden (The Netherlands). Spixiana Suppl. 9: 319-415 - get paper here
  • King, F. Wayne & Burke, Russel L. 1989. Crocodilian, Tuatara, and Turtles Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. [type catalogue] Assoc. Syst. Coll., Washington, DC, xxii + 216 pp.
  • Kunz, K. 2007. Neuer Schutzstatus für Mohrenkaiman und Guatemala-Skorpionskrustenechse. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (66): 5 - get paper here
  • Laverty, Theresa M. and Andrew P. Dobson 2013. Dietary Overlap Between Black Caimans and Spectacled Caimans in the Peruvian Amazon. Herpetologica 69 (1): 91-101. - get paper here
  • Marioni, B; Magalhaes, M S; Botero-Arias, R; De Sousa Silva E. Júnior, J & Da Silveira, R; 2019. Melanosuchus niger (Black Caiman) Diet. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 565-566 - get paper here
  • Marioni, Boris; Ronis Da Silveira, William E Magnusson, and John Thorbjarnarson 2008. Feeding Behavior of Two Sympatric Caiman Species, Melanosuchus niger and Caiman crocodilus, in the Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Herpetology 42 (4): 768 - get paper here
  • Medem, F. 1963. Osteología craneal, Distribución geográfica y Ecología de Melanosuchus niger (Spix), (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae). Revista Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales 12 (45): 5-19
  • Medem, F. 1983. Los Crocodylia de Sur America. Vol. 2. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional. Bogotá. 270 pp.
  • Metcalf, M. F., Guedouar, E., Davis, L., Rodriguez, A., Marsh, A., Pacaya, E. T., ... & Gunnels IV, C. W. 2023. Herpetofauna of Madre Selva Biological Station in Loreto, Peru. Herpetology Notes, 16, 727-740
  • Miles, Lee G.; Stacey L. Lance; Sally R. Isberg; Chris Moran; Travis C. Glenn 2009. Cross-species amplification of microsatellites in crocodilians: assessment and applications for the future. Conservation Genetics. 10:935–954 - get paper here
  • Morato, S.A.A.; Calixto, P.O.; Mendes, L.R.; Gomes, R.; Galatti, U.; Trein, F.L.; Oliveira, F.S.; Ferreira, G.N. 2014. Guia fotográfico de identificação da herpetofauna da Floresta Nacional de Saracá-Taquera, Estado do Pará. Curitiba: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A.; 213 p. - get paper here
  • Morato, Sérgio Augusto Abrahão; Guilherme Nunes Ferreira; Michela Rossane Cavilha Scupino (eds.) 2018. Herpetofauna da Amazônia Central: Estudos na FLONA de Saracá-Taquera. Curitiba, Pr: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas, Pa: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A., 2018.<br>210p. - get paper here
  • Muniz, Fabio L.; Silveira, Ronis Da; Campos, Zilca; Magnusson, William E.; Hrbek, Tomas; Farias, Izeni P. 2011. Multiple paternity in the Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) population in the Anavilhanas National Park, Brazilian Amazonia. Amphibia-Reptilia 32 (3): 428-434 - get paper here
  • Niceforo, M.H. 1955. El caiman Yacare negro (Melanosuchus niger Spix) en Colombia. Caldasia 7 (32): 167-171 - get paper here
  • PAN, TAO; JIA-SHUN MIAO, HUA-BIN ZHANG, PENG YAN, PING-SHIN LEE, XIN-YUE JIANG, JIA-HUI OUYANG, YOU-PENG DENG, BAO-WEI ZHANG & XIAO-BING WU. 2021. Near-complete phylogeny of extant Crocodylia (Reptilia) using mitogenome-based data. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 191(4): 1075–1089. - get paper here
  • Paola De la Quintana, James Aparicio, and Luis F. Pacheco 2020. Home range and habitat use of two sympatric crocodylians (Melanosuchus niger and Caiman yacare) under changing habitat conditions. Amphibia-Reptilia 42 (1): 115–123 [2021] - get paper here
  • PEREIRA, ANDRÉ C.; THIAGO C.G. PORTELINHA & ADRIANA MALVASIO. 2022. Population Ecology and Human Disturbance Effects on Two Caiman Species in the Southern Brazilian Amazon. South American Journal of Herpetology 23(1): 32–41. - get paper here
  • Piras, Paolo; Luciano Teresi; Angela D. Buscalioni and Jorge Cubo 2009. The shadow of forgotten ancestors differently constrains the fate of Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea. Global Ecology and Biogeography (Global Ecol. Biogeogr.) 18: 30–40 - get paper here
  • Poe, Steven 1996. Data set incongruence and the phylogeny of Crocodilians. Systematic Biology 45 (4): 393-414 - get paper here
  • Ron, S.R., A. Vallejo & E. Asanza 1998. Human Influence on the Wariness of Melanosuchus niger and Caiman crocodilus in Cuyabeno, Ecuador Journal of Herpetology 32 (3): 320-324. - get paper here
  • Rosenblatt, Adam E., Fernando Li, Ashley Holland, Peter Taylor and Leanna Kalicharan. 2015. Melanosuchus niger (black caiman) diet. Herpetological Review 46 (3): 430 - get paper here
  • ROSENBLATT, ADAM E.; FERNANDO LI, LEANNA KALICHARAN & PETER TAYLOR. 2021. What do adult black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) actually eat? Biotropica Online Version of Record before inclusion in an issue: btp.13038. - get paper here
  • Rosenblatt, Adam E.; Keely Lardizabal, Fernando Li, Ashley Holland, Delene Lawrence & Peter Taylor 2021. Tourism Value of Crocodilians: The Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) as a Case Study. Herpetologica Dec 2021 Vol. 77, No. 4: 289-293 - get paper here
  • Silveira, Ronis Da; Emiliano E. Ramalho, John B. Thorbjarnarson, and William E. Magnusson 2010. Depredation by Jaguars on Caimans and Importance of Reptiles in the Diet of Jaguar. Journal of Herpetology 44 (3): 418–424 - get paper here
  • Sommerlad, R. 2011. Krokodile – Reptiliengiganten in Gefahr. Reptilia (Münster) 16 (87): 16-22 - get paper here
  • Spix, J. B. von 1825. Animalia nova sive species nova lacertarum quas in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX jussu et auspicius Maximiliani Josephi I Bavariae Regis suscepto collegit et descripsit Dr. J. B. de Spix. Lipsiae: T. O. Weigel; F. S. Hübschmanni, Monachii, 26 pp. - get paper here
  • Taylor, Peter; Fernando Li, Ashley Holland, Michael Martin and Adam E. Rosenblatt 2016. Growth rates of black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) in the Rupununi region of Guyana. Amphibia-Reptilia 37 (1): 9 - 14 - get paper here
  • Thorbjarnarson, J.B.;McIntosh, P.E. 1987. Notes on a large Melanosuchus niger skull from Bolivia. Herpetological Review 18 (3): 49, 52 - get paper here
  • Torralvo, K. & Rabelo, R.M. 2018. Melanosuchus niger (Black Caiman) and Caiman crocodilus (Spectacled Caiman) Nesting. Herpetological Review 49 (1): 113-114. - get paper here
  • 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
  • Trutnau, L. & Sommerlad, R. 2006. Krokodile - Biologie und Haltung. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 646 pp. [review in Reptilia Münster 11 (6): 95-96]
  • Trutnau, L. & Sommerlad, R. 2006. Crocodilians. Their natural history and captive husbandry. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 646 pp. [review in Reptilia GB 48: 8-10]
  • Ulmer, P. 2007. Mit Harpune und Machete - die Jagd auf Mohrenkaimane im Amazonas. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (64): 44-50 - get paper here
  • Vasconcelos, Rangel; W.; Hrbek, T.; Silveira, R. da; Thoisy, B. de; Araújo dos Santos Ruffeil, L.A.; Pires Farias, I. 2008. Phylogeographic and Conservation Genetic Analysis of the Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger). J. Exp. Zool. 309A: 600-613 - get paper here
  • Vasquez P G 1991. Melanosuchus Gray. Black caiman. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles ( 530: 1-4 - get paper here
  • Vaz-Silva, W.; RM Oliveira, AFN Gonzaga, KC Pinto, FC Poli, TM Bilce, M Penhacek, L Wronski, JX Martins, TG Junqueira, LCC, Cesca VY, Guimarães RD. Pinheiro 2015. Contributions to the knowledge of amphibians and reptiles from Volta Grande do Xingu, northern Brazil Braz. J. Biol., 75 (3) (suppl.): S205-S218 - get paper here
  • Villamarín-Jurado, F. & E. Suárez 2007. Nesting of the Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) in Northeastern Ecuador Journal of Herpetology 41 (1): 164-167. - get paper here
  • Vogt, R.C.; Ferrara, C.R.; Bernhard, R.; Carvalho, V.T.; Balensiefer, D.C.; Bonora, L.; Novelle, S.M.H. 2007. Capítulo 9. Herpetofauna. p. 127-143. In: Rapp Py-Daniel, L.; Deus, C.P.; Henriques, A.L.; Pimpão, D.M.; Ribeiro, O.M. (orgs.). Biodiversidade do Médio Madeira: Bases científicas para propostas de conservação. INPA: Manaus, 244pp.
  • Wermuth,H. & Fuchs,K. 1978. Bestimmen von Krokodilen und ihrer Häute. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart - New York, 100 pages, [ISBN 3-437-30268-X]
  • Willis, Ray E. 2009. Transthyretin gene (TTR) intron 1 elucidates crocodylian phylogenetic relationships. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 53 (3): 1049-1054 - get paper here
  • Zug,G.R.; Vitt, L.J. & Caldwell, J.P. 2001. Herpetology, 2nd ed. Academic Press San Diego, London, [...]XIV + 630 pp.
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Melanosuchus&species=niger

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator