''Ctenosaura pectinata'' 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 moderately large lizard in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

. The species is native to western

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The standardized English name is the western spiny-tailed iguana. Liner, Ernest A., and Gustavo Casas-Andreu (2008). ''Standard Spanish, English and scientific names of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico.'' Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 38: i-iv, 1-162. However, an earlier edition of standardized names applied the name Mexican spinytailed iguana to ''Ctenosaura pectinata''.Liner, E.A. (1994). ''Scientific and common names for the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico in English and Spanish.'' Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 23: i-iii, 1-113. Confoundedly the name Mexican spiny-tailed iguana was applied to '' Ctenosaura acanthura'' which was referred to as the northeastern spinytailed iguana in the earlier edition of standardized names. It has also been called simply the spiny-tailed iguana, Behler, J.L., and F.W. King (1979). ''National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians.'' New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 743 pp. . Conant, R., and J.T. Collins (1998). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, Eastern and Central North America''. (3rd edition, expanded). Peterson Field Guide Series. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. xviii + 616 pp. . black spiny-tailed iguana,Bartlett, Richard D. (1987). ''In Search of Reptiles and Amphibians.'' New York: E.J. Brill. xix + 363 pp. . Guerreran spiny-tailed Iguana, broad-ringed spiny-tailed iguanaGarrett, Judith M., and David G. Barker (1987). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Texas.'' Austin: Texas Monthly Press. xi + 225 pp. . among other common names. The taxonomic status, relationships, and validity of a number of spiny-tailed iguana, particularly '' Ctenosaura acanthura'', ''C. pectinata'', and '' C. similis'' have an extensive history of confusion in both scientific and popular literature. The status and relationship of ''Ctenosaura acanthura'' and ''C. pectinata'' remains unstable (as of 2021) with some limited molecular evidence suggesting ''Ctenosaura acanthura'' is a synonym (the same species) of ''C. pectinata'', while others recognize the two as

allopathic Allopathic medicine, or allopathy, is an archaic term used to define science-based modern medicine. Citing: ''Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine'' (2008) and ''Mosby's Medical Dictionary'', 8th ed. (2009). There are regional variations in usage of th ...

, morphologically distinct species. Köhler, G., and B. Streit (1996). "Notes on the systematic status of the taxa ''acanthura, pectinata, and similis'' of the genus ''Ctenosaura'' (Reptilia: Sauria: Iguanidae)". ''Senckenbergiana biologica'' 75 (1/2): 33-43.Malone, Catherine L., Víctor Hugo Reynoso, and Larry Buckley (2017). "Never judge an iguana by its spines: Systematics of the Yucatan spiny tailed iguana, ''Ctenosaura defensor'' (Cope, 1866)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 115: 27-39Zarza, Eugenia, Victor H. Reynoso, and Brent C. Emerson (2008). "Diversification in the northern neotropics: mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogeography of the iguana ''Ctenosaura pectinata'' and related species". ''Molecular Ecology'' 17: 3259–3275The Reptile Database,
Ctenosaura acanthura
' (SHAW, 1802), see Comments, (accessed 6 July 2021) The common names Mexican spiny-tailed iguana and black spiny-tailed iguana (among many other common names) have been loosely and informally applied to all three species at various times.

Geographic range

it is found from central Sinaloa to southern Chiapas. It has also been introduced to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the very southern tip of the state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Taxonomy

''C. pectinata'' was first described by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann in 1834. The

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name, ''Ctenosaura'', is derived from two

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words: ''ctenos'' (Κτενός), meaning "comb" (referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back and tail), and ''saura'' (σαύρα), meaning "lizard". Its specific name is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''pectinata'' meaning "combed", also referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back. The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

it belongs to represents the most diverse group of iguanas with 15 currently recognized species. These species inhabit lowland (below 1200m elevation) dry forests on both coasts of Mexico and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. All species of ''Ctenosaura'' fall within one of seven

clades A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

. Distributions of these clades fall geographically within well established areas. Closely related species show

allopatry Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

whereas species from divergent clades show sympatry. Phylogenic study shows this species to be most closely related to '' C. acanthura'', the Northeastern spinytail iguana. de Queiroz, Kevin (1987). ''Phylogenetic systematics of iguanine lizards: a comparative osteological study''. Berkeley: University of California Press. xii + 203 pp. Additional mitochondrial DNA research is being performed to determine whether additional subspecies may exist. Because of the different human cultures throughout this species distribution, the clades are being evaluated for their impact from humans. For example, these iguanas are not eaten in their northern ranges by humans as they are in the southern ranges, but the hatchlings in the southern ranges have a better survival rate due to better environmental conditions.

Description

''C. pectinata'' has distinctive keeled

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number w ...

on its long

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...

, to which its common name refers. It is one of the larger members of the genus ''Ctenosaura'', capable of growing to 1.3 m (4.3 feet) in total length (including tail), with females being slightly smaller than males at . It is usually

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

-brown in coloration

dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

, with a

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...

ish ventral surface. It has a crest of long spines which extend down the center of its back. Hatchlings are often a bright green color with no body pattern, and darken as they age. ''Ctenosaura pectinata'' often (but not always) has an irregular

piebald A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backgro ...

pattern on the head or dorsal areas. Although the tail may be banded with light and dark crossbands, ''C. pectinata'' typically lacks a clear or well developed crossband pattern on the body, which is often present in the similar appearing and closely related species ''

Ctenosaura similis ''Ctenosaura similis'', commonly known as the black iguanaLiner, 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. So ...

'' and '' Ctenosaura acanthura''.Köhler, G. (2008). ''Reptiles of Central America, 2nd Edition''. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler. 400 pp.''Ctenosaura pectinata'' varies from gray to a brownish-black, with some males exhibiting yellowish colors, and females orange color, on the lateral sides of the body.García, A., and G. Ceballos (1994). ''Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the Jalisco Coast, Mexico.'' México, Distrito Federal: Fundacion Ecologica de Cuixmala, A. C., Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. 184 pp. The young are bright green and unmarked except for black tail bands, present also on adults. Hardy, L.M., and R.W. McDiarmid (1969). "The Amphibians and Reptiles of Sinaloa, Mexico". ''University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History'' 18 (3): 39-252.

Distribution

''C. pectinata'' is native to Western Mexico from Sinaloa to

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

. Hollingsworth, Bradford D. (2004). "The Evolution of Iguanas an Overview and a Checklist of Species". pp. 33–34. ''In'': Alberts, Allison C., Ronald L. Carter, William K. Hayes, and Emília P. Martins (2004). ''Iguanas: Biology and Conservation''. Berkeley: University of California Press. 372 pp. . This iguana has been introduced to Brownsville, Texas and South Florida and reproduces in the wild in several

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

populations. On the south-eastern Florida coast, these iguanas have been found on

Key Biscayne Key Biscayne ( es, Cayo Vizcaíno, link=no) is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies sou ...

Hialeah Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area, whi ...

, and in

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...

. On the south-western Florida coast, it has been reported on

Gasparilla Island Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been an ...

. It is currently estimated as of December 2007 that there are 12,000 iguanas on this island, descended from a trio of pet lizards released by a resident in the 1970s. They are regarded as a "nuisance animal" on Gasparilla island because the iguanas eat ornamental flowers and shrubs and prey on nesting birds and

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

eggs. They have been known to chew through electrical and telephone cables. They may also carry salmonella and their appearance has been known to scare timid residents. As the iguanas like to burrow in the sand it is feared that their tunnels could cause dunes and even seawalls to collapse and deprive the island of crucial protection from landfalling

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

Behavior

''C. pectinata'' is a social lizard, which has adapted to living in groups as opposed to other species of ''Ctenosaura'' which tend to be solitary animals. These 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 and fast moving, employing their speed to escape predators but will lash with their tails and bite if cornered. They are often found dwelling near or in towns in their native Mexico and where they have been introduced elsewhere. Juveniles consume a diet consisting mostly of insects. However, adults are primarily

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

, eating a variety of

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, leaves, stems, and

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

, but they will opportunistically eat small animals, eggs, and

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

Reproduction

Mating of ''C. pectinata'' occurs in the spring. Males show dominance and interest by head bobbing, eventually chasing the female until he can catch her and subdue her. Within eight to ten weeks, the female will dig a nest and lay clutches of up to 50

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

in a burrow of loose soil. These eggs hatch in 90 days with the bright green babies digging their way out of the sand. The bright green hatchlings first appear around July and are abundant in August.

Threatened status

''C. pectinata'' is used as a traditional food source in its native Mexico. This species is listed as "Least Concern" by the

IUCN Redlist The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

, but the species is listed on the Mexican Red List NOM-059-2001 as

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

and it is currently illegal to hunt them in Mexico. This protection does not apply to areas in North America where they have been introduced, however. Although hunting, trapping, and killing of these iguanas is illegal throughout Mexico; the Balsas depression along the borders of the states Michoacán and Guerrero is one of the largest illegal hunting and trading areas. The remoteness of the areas and lack of enforcement of the laws is seen as the main reason. A study is being conducted by the ''Instituto de Biologia'', UNAM, to solve the over-exploitation problem and to determine if the iguanas can be successfully farmed as a food source similar to the Green Iguana and the closely related ''

''.

Gallery

File:Iguana del Parque las Riveras.JPG, Male showing yellow coloring on the lateral sides of the body, Rio Tamazula, Parque Las Riberas, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico (23 March 2010) File:The Iguana S Eye (236474009).jpeg, A female from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico (23 December 2016) File:Unidentified lizard -Huatulco, Mexico-8.jpg, A female from the Huatulco Coast area of Oaxaca, Mexico (29 December 2010) File:Ctenosaura pectinata (24333259952).jpg, A female photographed in the Huatulco Coast area in Oaxaca, Mexico (2013) File:Estragos del Huracán Ingrid y tormenta Manuel 2.29.JPG, Ventral view of a ''Ctenosaura pectinata'' from the vicinity of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico (16 September 2013) File:Ctenosaura pectinata Juvenil verde.jpg, Juveniles are a bright green color as this one from the Bosque de la Primavera region of Jalisco, Mexico (2013) File:Ctenosaura-pectinata.jpg, ''Ctenosaura pectinata'' from the area of Playa Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico (13 September 2010)

References

External links

* *
Herps of Texas: ''Ctenosaura pectinata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q276865 Ctenosaura Endemic reptiles of Mexico Sinaloan dry forests Taxa named by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann Reptiles described in 1834