The dotted galliwasp or Malpelo galliwasp (''Diploglossus millepunctatus'') is a

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Malpelo Island Malpelo is a small oceanic island in the eastern Pacific Ocean, located about west of the Colombian mainland with a military post manned by the Colombian Armed Forces. It consists of a sheer and barren rock with three high peaks, the highest ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Description

Adults of the species grow to 50 cm in total length and can reach a weight of 500 g. They are predominantly black, but are liberally dotted with white.

Diet

''D. millepunctatus'' has extremely odd feeding habits for a lizard. Malpelo Island has few resources; the only available foods are crabs and seabirds, especially

boobies A booby is a seabird in the genus ''Sula'', part of the family Sulidae. Boobies are closely related to the gannets (''Morus''), which were formerly included in ''Sula''. Systematics and evolution The genus ''Sula'' was introduced by the Fren ...

. While the lizards eat both of these, they also eat

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, and mob birds returning to their young, forcing them to regurgitate their food for the lizards instead of their chicks.

Breeding

''D. millepunctatus'' is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

Habitat

The species is endemic to Malpelo Island, a possession of Colombia, where it is common. The island is treeless, rocky, and very small. Similar to the marine iguana, it has the ability to swim for short distances, although this is not related to its feeding habits. It shares the island with two other endemic lizard species, ''

Anolis agassizi Agassiz's anole (''Anolis agassizi'') is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Dactyloidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Malpelo Island, which is part of Colombia. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''agas ...

'' and '' Phyllodactylus transversalis''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2711107 Diploglossus Reptiles of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Reptiles described in 1874 Taxa named by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy