Ctenosaura similis, commonly known as the black iguana[Liner, Ernest A. and Gustavo Cass-Andreu. (2008). Standard Spanish, English and Scientific Names of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Mexico (2nd. ed.). Herpetological Circular No. 38. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. iv, 162 pp. ] or black spiny-tailed iguana, is an Iguanidae native to Mexico and Central America. It has been reported in some islands in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and has been introduced to the United States in the state of Florida. The largest species in the genus Ctenosaura, it is commonly found in areas such as and forests.
Taxonomy
C. similis was first described by British
zoology John Edward Gray in 1831.
The
genus—
Ctenosaura—is derived from two
Ancient Greek words:
ctenos (Κτενός), meaning "comb" (referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back and tail), and
saura (σαύρα), meaning "lizard".
The specific name—
similis—is a
Latin word meaning "similar to", a common description found in Linnaean taxonomy when referring to a new
taxon.
[
]
Description
C. similis has distinctive black, keeled scales on its tail, which gives it its common name.
It is the largest member of the genus
Ctenosaura. The males are capable of growing up to in length and the females are slightly shorter, at .
They have a crest of long spines which extends down the center of the back.
Although coloration varies extremely among individuals of the same population, adults usually have a whitish gray or tan ground color with a series of 4–12 well-defined dark dorsal bands that extend nearly to the ventral scales.
Males also develop an orange color around the head and throat during breeding season with highlights of blue and peach on their jowls.
Diet and behavior
Black spiny-tailed iguanas are excellent climbers, and prefer a rocky habitat with plenty of crevices to hide in, rocks to bask on, and nearby trees to climb.
They are
Diurnal animal and fast moving, employing their speed to escape predators but will lash with their tails and bite if cornered.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists this as the world's fastest lizard, with a maximal sprint speed of .
They are primarily herbivorous, eating flowers, leaves, stems, and fruit, but they will opportunistically eat smaller animals (, , , small and smaller iguanas), eggs and .[Van Devender, R. W. 1982. Growth and ecology of spiny-tailed and green iguanas in Costa Rica, with comments on the evolution of herbivory and large body size. Pages 162-182 in G. M. Burghardt and A. S. Rand, eds. Iguanas of the world: their behavior, ecology, and conservation. Park Ridge, New Jersey, USA, Noyes Publications.] They are known to eat the fruit and live in the limbs of the manchineel, a tree highly poisonous to most other animals.
Distribution
The black spiny-tailed iguana is native to southern
Mexico and
Central America, ranging from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec southward to
Panama, occurring at sea level to ca. 1,320 meters elevation, but it is absent from interior highlands.
[Köhler, Gunther. 2008. Reptiles of Central America, 2nd Edition. Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler, Offenbach, Germany. 400 pp. (pages 139–144) ] Its distribution is irregular and discontinuous on the Atlantic versant where it ranges through portions of
Tabasco, northern
Chiapas,
Campeche, Yucatan, and
Quintana Roo in Mexico, much of
Belize,
Guatemala,
[Campbell, Jonathan A. 1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. xix, 380 pp. (pages 142–144) ][Lee, Julian C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. xii, 500 pp. (pages 206–208)] and the northern coast of
Honduras (often following rivers into interior valleys and canyons),
[McCranie, James R. 2018. The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras: Systematic, Distribution, and Conservation. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Special Publications Series, No. 2: 1-666 pp. (pages 273–281)] but with only a few isolated and disjunct records southward in eastern
Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, and Panama.
[Savage, Jay M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica, A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. xx, 934 pp. (pages 435–437) ] On the Pacific coast its distribution is continuous from extreme southeast
Oaxaca and southern Chiapas, Mexico, south through Guatemala,
El Salvador,
[Köhler, Gunther., Milan Veselý, and Eli Greenbaum. 2006. The Amphibians and Reptiles of El Salvador. Krieger Publishing Company. Malabar, Florida. ix, 238 pp. (pages 113–115) ] Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
to the
Azuero Peninsula in Panama.
[Köhler, Gunther. 2002. Schwarzleguane: Lebensweise, Pflege, Zucht. Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler, Offenbach, Germany. 142 pp. (pages 110–120, & 128b) ]
It is also found on many Caribbean and Pacific islands including: Isla Aguada, Isla Contoy, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres in Mexico;[Alberts, Allison C., Ronald L. Carter, William K. Hays, and Emília P. Martins (Editors). 2004. Iguanas: Biology and Conservation. University of California Press. Berkeley. xvi, 356 pp. (pages 34–35) ] Ambergris Caye, Glover's Reef, Half Moon Caye, Belize;[McCranie, James R., Larry David Wilson, and Gunther Köhloer. 2005. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos, Honduras. Bibliomania!. Salt Lake City, Utah. xiii, 210 pp. (pages 96–97) ] Isla de Maíz Grande (Corn Islands) Nicaragua;[Schwartz, Albert, and Robert W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibian and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distribution, and Natural History. University of Florida Press. Gainesville. (pages 387–388) ][Powell, Robert, and Robert W. Henderson (Editors). 1996. Contributions to West Indian Herpetology: A Tribute to Albert Schwarts. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 457 pp. (page 105) ] Its status on a few of these islands, as a native or invasive species is questionable. Some herpetologist presume dispersal to the Islas San Andrés and Providencia, Colombia occurred in the Quaternary,[Barrio-Amorós, César Luis and Gilson Rivas-Fuenmayor. 2008. Spiny-tailed Iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) in Venezuela: A Preliminary Report. Iguana. 15( 3) 160-161.]
The black spiny-tailed iguana has been introduced to South Florida and reproduces in the wild in several feral populations. On the southwestern Florida coast, it has been discovered from Collier County north to Tampa Bay.[Krysko, K. L. & King, F. W. & Enge, K. M. & Reppas, A. T. (2003): Sarasota county Distribution of the introduced black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis ) on the southwestern coast of Florida. Florida Scientist, Lawrence, Kansas, USA; 66 (2): 74-79.]
Reproduction
Mating generally occurs in the beginning of the dry season. Males court females and show interest with low amplitude head bobbing and flick-licking the female. The female, when receptive, will allow mating with a large male. Females may violently reject forced-copulation attempts. Within eight to ten weeks, females will travel to a communal nesting site. There they, and other females, repeatedly visit nest openings, eventually laying clutches of up to 30 eggs.
The eggs hatch in 90 days with the hatchlings digging their way out of the sand.
These juveniles are typically green with brown markings, although all brown hatchlings have been recorded as well.
[
] Juveniles become reproductively mature around 2–3 years old.
Commercial usage
In some parts of Central America, the black spiny-tailed iguana, colloquially called the "chicken of the trees," is farmed alongside the
green iguana as a food source and for export for the pet trade
(see
iguana meat). Although it is heavily hunted it does not appear to be endangered in any of its native territory.
Gallery
File:Black Spiny-tailed Iguana-27527.jpg|A basking female on the island of Cozumel in Quintana Roo, Mexico
File:Black Iguana (3326624432).jpg|A male eating a flower in southern Mexico
File:Ctenosaura similis (juvenile).jpg|A juvenile from Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica
File:Blue Ctenosaur.jpg|An adult male iguana basking in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
External links
