(Plica plica)
Family: Iguanas (Iguanidae)
Order: Squamates or Scaly Reptiles (Squamata)
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Collared Tree Lizard (Plica plica) Family: Iguanas (Iguanidae) Order: Squamates or Scaly Reptiles (Squamata) | |
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Other names: Collared Tree Runner, Spiny Tree Lizard, Spiny-headed Tree Lizard. Also known by the scientific name Tropidurus plica. Size: Up to c. 14 cm from snout to vent. Total length up to c. 35 cm. Distribution: Northern South America, east of Andes (Bolivia, Brazil (Acre, Amapa, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Para, Rondonia, Roraima), Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad, Venezuela), and Grenada (Lesser Antilles). Habitat: Forests and forest edges, where it climbs vertical surfaces of tree trunks, rock faces, and buildings. Uses holes at the base of trees as escape. The spinose scales of this lizard are supposed to help it maintaining a firm grasp while climbing tree trunks, etc. Hatchlings are more terrestrial than adults. Food: Spiders, insects and their larvae. A sit-and-wait predator, eating insects as they pass by. Reproduction: Typically lays 2-3 cylindrical eggs with parchment-like shell, but clutch size depends on the size of the female. The bigger the female, the bigger the clutch. Activity and behaviour: Diurnal. When climbing, the head and front part of the body is usually raised, with front legs stretched. Enemies and defense: Snakes have been recorded among the predators of this lizard. Aggressive display includes expansion of the black throat area and partially gaping the mouth, exposing the blue mouth lining. This may be used as a territorial display as well. Sexual differences: Males are larger than females. Status: Abundant, at least in some places. References: Avila-Pires, T.C.S. 1995. Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 299: 1-706. Ayala, S.C. 1986. Saurios de Colombia: lista actuatizada, y distribucion de ejemplares colombianos en los museos. Caldasia 15(71-75): 555-575. Bartlett, R.D. & Bartlett, P. 2003. Reptiles and amphibians of the Amazon. An ecotourist's guide. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 291 pp. Böhme, W. 1983. The Tucano Indians of Colombia and the iguanid lizard Plica plica: ethnological, herpetological and ethological implications. Biotropica 15(2): 148-150. Dirksen, L. & de la Riva, I. 1999. The lizards and amphisbaenians of Bolivia (Reptilia, Squamata): checklist, localities, and bibliography. Graellsia 55: 199-215. Duellman, W.E. 1978. The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 65: 1-352. Duellman, W.E. 2005. Cusco Amazonica: the lives of amphibians and reptiles in an Amazonian rainforest. Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 433 pp. Etheridge, R.E. 1970. A review of the South American iguanid lizard genus Plica. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Zoology) 19(7): 237-256. Fugler, C.M. 1989. List preliminar de los saurios. Ecología en Bolivia 13: 57-75. Henle, K. & Ehrl, A. 1991. Zur Reptilienfauna Perus nebst Beschreibung eines neuen Anolis (Iguanidae) und zweier neuer Schlangen (Colubridae). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 42(2): 143-180. Hoogmoed, M.S. & Lescure, J. 1975. An annotated checklist of the lizards of French Guiana, mainly based on two recent collections. Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 49(13): 141-171. Hoogmoed, M.S. 1973. Notes on the herpetofauna of Surinam. 4. The lizards and amphisbaenians of Surinam. Dr. W. Junk, Publishers, The Hague. 419 pp. Hoogmoed, M.S. 1979. The herpetofauna of the Guianan region. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Monograph 7: 241-279. Miyata, K. 1982. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Ecuador with a bibliography of Ecuadorian herpetology. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service 54: 1-70. Murphy, J.C. 1997. Amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago. Krieger, Malabar, Florida. 245 pp. Reynolds, R.; MacCulloch, R.; Tamessar, M.; Watson, C.; Cole, C.J. & Townsend, C. Preliminary Checklist of the Herpetofauna of Guyana. www.mnh.si.edu/biodiversity/bdg/guyherps.html. Text & layout: Rune Midtgaard |
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