''Plica'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of tropidurid

lizards 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 althou ...

found in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

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 ...

in the genus ''Plica'' are arboreal, medium-sized lizards.

Taxonomy

For a long time, the genus ''Plica'' was considered to include four species: two relatively widespread ones ( ''P. plica'' and ''P. umbra'') and two

tepuis A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...

-associated species with narrow distributions ( ''P. lumaria'' and ''P. pansticta''). However, recent research has shown that ''P. plica'' is a

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

complex, and four new species were described in 2013. The species count will likely increase as there are still several undescribed species.

Species

The currently recognized species are the following:. * ''

Plica lumaria ''Plica lumaria'' is a species of South American lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is found in Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is ...

'' * '' Plica pansticta'' * ''

Plica plica ''Plica plica'' is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common names include collared tree lizard,Henderson RW, Murphy JC (2012)"The Collared Tree Lizard, ''Plica plica'' (Tropiduridae), on Grenada" ...

'' – collared tree runner, tree runner * ''

Plica umbra ''Plica umbra'', the blue-lipped tree lizard or harlequin racerunner, is a species of lizard in the family (biology), family Tropiduridae. The species is found in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivi ...

'' – blue-lipped tree lizard, harlequin racerunner Formerly included in ''Plica plica'': * '' Plica caribeana'' – Caribbean treerunner * ''

Plica kathleenae ''Plica kathleenae'', Kathleen's treerunner, is a species of South American lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is found in Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern ma ...

'' – Kathleen’s treerunner * ''

Plica medemi ''Plica medemi'', Medem's treerunner, is a species of South American lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is found in Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular r ...

'' – Medem’s treerunner * ''

Plica rayi ''Plica rayi'', Ray's treerunner, is a species of South American lizard in the family Tropiduridae. The species is found in Colombia and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República ...

'' – Ray’s treerunner ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Plica''.

References

Plica Lizards of South America Reptiles of the Caribbean Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{Lizard-stub