Galápagos lava lizard
| Microlophus albemarlensis | |
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| Female, Santa Fe Island | |
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| Male, Isabela Island | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Microlophus |
| Species: | M. albemarlensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Microlophus albemarlensis (Baur, 1890) |
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| Range (red) in the Galápagos Islands | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Galápagos lava lizard (Microlophus albemarlensis), also known as the Albemarle lava lizard, is a species of lava lizard endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it occurs on several islands in the western archipelago: the large islands Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Santiago and Santa Fe, as well as several smaller islands: Seymour, Baltra, Plaza Sur, Daphne Major and Rábida. It is the most widespread of the Galápagos species of Microlophus, the others only occurring on single islands. Some authors however, consider populations on Santiago, Santa Cruz, and Santa Fe (and associated small islands) to be distinct species (M. jacobi, M. indefatigabilis and M. barringtonensis, respectively). The species is commonly attributed to the genus Microlophus but has been historically placed in the genus Tropidurus.
Adult Galápagos lava lizards range from around 50 to 100 mm long SVL (snout-to-vent length; excluding tail which can be equal or longer to SVL), with average and maximum sizes varying between islands. Males are on average larger than females, being twice to three times as heavy, with average body sizes of 77 to 91 mm SVL, compared to 63–71 mm of females. In addition to size, there are significant color and morphological differences between sexes, although color varies across islands. Males are blue gray to brownish, spotted black to ash gray, and tend to have dark crossbands on the neck and anterior portion of the back. The throat has a large black blotch, extending to the base of the forelimbs. Males have a crest of spined scales running down the length of the body, which are longer than those of females. Males also have proportionally longer hind legs.
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Wikipedia