Ctenosaura pectinata
| Ctenosaura pectinata | |
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| Ctenosaura pectinata at the Denver Zoo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Ctenosaura |
| Species: | C. pectinata |
| Binomial name | |
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Ctenosaura pectinata (Wiegmann, 1834) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ctenosaura pectinata, commonly known as the Mexican spiny-tailed iguana or the Mexican spinytail iguana, is a moderate-sized lizard endemic to western Mexico.
In Mexico it is found from central Sinaloa to southern Chiapas. It has also been introduced to the United States in the very southern tip of the state of Texas and in the state of Florida.
The Mexican Spinytail Iguana was first described by German zoologist Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann in 1834. The generic name, Ctenosaura, is derived from two Greek words: ctenos (Κτενός), meaning "comb" (referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back and tail), and saura (σαύρα), meaning "lizard". Its specific name is the Latin word pectinata meaning "combed", also referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back. The genus it belongs to represents the most diverse group of iguanas with 15 currently recognized species. These species inhabit lowland (below 1200m elevation) dry forests on both coasts of Mexico and Central America. All species of Ctenosaura fall within one of seven clades. Distributions of these clades fall geographically within well established areas. Closely related species show allopatry whereas species from divergent clades show sympatry. Phylogenic study shows this species to be most closely related to C. acanthura, the Northeastern spinytail iguana. Additional research is being performed to determine whether additional subspecies may exist. Because of the different human cultures throughout this species distribution, the clades are being evaluated for their impact from humans. For example, these iguanas are not eaten in their northern ranges by humans as they are in the southern ranges, but the hatchlings in the southern ranges have a better survival rate due to better environmental conditions.
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Wikipedia