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. salinicola: Peru (coastal area of Puerto de Salinas). Type locality: “Salinas südl. Huacho” |
| 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). |
| 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. Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. |
| Etymology | The species was named after its distribution in Peru. |
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