''Conolophus marthae'', the Galápagos pink land iguana, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of lizard of the family

Iguanidae The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana. Taxonomy Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaph ...

. This critically endangered iguana is native only to the

Wolf Volcano The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

in northern Isabela Island of the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...

(

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

). It has a pink body with some dark stripes, prompting some to call it the pink iguana or the Galápagos rosy iguana. The species was first discovered in 1986 and was identified as a separate species, distinct from the

Galápagos land iguana The Galápagos land iguana (''Conolophus subcristatus'') is a very large species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species of the genus ''Conolophus''. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, in the dry lowlands of the island ...

, early in 2009. This species is the only example of ancient

diversification Diversification may refer to: Biology and agriculture * Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes * Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to ...

in the genus ''

Conolophus The Galápagos land iguanas comprise the genus ''Conolophus'' of the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). The number of species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit o ...

''.

Taxonomy and etymology

A tentative specific name, ''rosada'', was derived from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word meaning "pinkish" in reference to the animal's pinkish body color. The term was later abandoned for the formal description; and the specific name, ''marthae,'' was chosen in memory of Martha Rebecca Gentile, the stillborn daughter of the describer Gabriele Gentile. The species was first formally described in early 2009 as being distinct from the other land iguana populations. An initial genetic analysis of the pink subpopulation indicated that this particular species diverged from a

common ancestor Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. All living beings are in fact descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal comm ...

with '' C. subcristatus'' and '' C. pallidus'' some 5.7 million years past. A more recent study indicates that the split is more recent and occurred about 1.5 million years ago.

Anatomy

''Conolophus marthae'' is anatomically similar to the closely related species, '' C. subcristatus''. Both exemplify the typical

saurian Sauria is the clade containing the most recent common ancestor of archosaurs (such as crocodilians, dinosaurs, etc.) and lepidosaurs ( lizards and kin), and all its descendants. Since most molecular phylogenies recover turtles as more closel ...

body shape, having squat, quadrupedal bodies with elongated tails. The legs sprawl out to the sides like all lizards, and a row of short spines runs down the middle of the lizard's back starting from the base of the neck to the tail. However, there are a few anatomical differences between the two species. The crest of ''C. marthae'' has been described as somewhat different from that of ''C. subcristatus''. The most apparent difference is that of coloration – the body of ''C. marthae'' is pinkish with a few wide, vertical dark bands. This is a stark contrast from the yellow-brown coloration of ''C. subcristatus''. Additionally, the

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

head-nodding display of ''C. marthae'' is more complex than the display by the other land iguana species. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

of ''C. marthae'', which was released after measurements and samples were taken, is an adult male that weighs , has a snout-vent length of and a tail length of .

Discovery and range

Individuals of the species first came into the public light in 1986 when park rangers spotted some pink lizards on the

on Isabela Island, but a more thorough study by scientists only began in 2000. This volcano encompasses the entire distribution of the species and the range covers only , at altitudes between .

Conservation

Fewer than 200 mature individuals remain. When first described, it was suggested that it should be considered a critically endangered species due to its tiny range and population, and this recommendation was followed when the IUCN reviewed its status in 2012. The area where it lives is uninhabited by humans, and also difficult to access, which limits research into the species. The Galápagos pink land iguana is threatened by introduced feral cats and black rats, which can take eggs and young. The only native predator of the species is the

Galápagos hawk The Galápagos hawk (''Buteo galapagoensis'') is a large hawk endemic to most of the Galápagos Islands. Description The Galapágos hawk is similar in size to the red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') and the Swainson's hawk (''Buteo swainso ...

. Other threats are possible hybridization with Galápagos land iguanas (unknown at present, but has occurred based on genetic evidence), as the ranges of the two species come into contact, and chance events such as eruptions of Wolf Volcano, which has happened as recently as 2022. It has been proposed that a

captive breeding program Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that ...

should be established for the Galápagos pink land iguana, similar to the successful program already established for some populations of the Galápagos land iguana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conolophus marthae marthae Reptiles described in 2009 Endemic reptiles of the Galápagos Islands