Tropidurus torquatus explained

Tropidurus torquatus is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common name is Amazon lava lizard.[1] The species is endemic to South America. There are no subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, torquatus, is Latin meaning "adorned with a neck chain or collar".

Geographic range

Native to South America, T. torquatus is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.[1] It is one of the most widely distributed species of the genus Tropidurus.[2]

Description

T. torquatus is a medium-sized lizard with a relatively large head. Its scales are overlapping.[2] The reproductively mature female ranges from 7to snout-to-vent length (SVL).[3] One sample of adult males had a mean SVL of 8.68cm (03.42inches),[4] while another found a mean SVL of 11to.[5]

Habitat

T. torquatus lives mainly in open habitat types, especially restinga, part of the Atlantic Forest biome. It may occupy disturbed and degraded restinga. It is also known from the Abrolhos Archipelago, indicating that it can colonize offshore islands.[6] It lives in the Cerrado.[7] It may be found in residential areas,[2] [5] where it is adept at climbing the walls of houses. It is mostly ground-dwelling, living in termite nests and on or under rocks and logs.[8] It is associated with many other animals, including giant ameiva, coati, brown capuchin, guira cuckoo, and false coral snake.[9]

Diet

The species T. torquatus is omnivorous, eating invertebrates and plant material.[1] It favors ants,[10] and on plants it prefers the fruits and flowers.[11] It commonly eats the fruit of Chomelia obtusa, higuerón, and smilaxes.[12] It especially favors the fruit of little coca during the summer.[10]

Territoriality

The male of the species T. torquatus is territorial. The male performs signalling behaviors such as head-bobbing and tail-whipping and exhibits aggressive behaviors such as chasing and fighting with other males. Larger, faster males tend to dominate higher-quality territories, such as those with many hiding places and abundant sunlight. Females prefer higher-quality territories and accept the males guarding them; a male may have access to a harem of several females in a good habitat.[5]

Reproduction

The female T. torquatus may lay several eggs at a time, but a clutch of two is common, particularly in coastal areas.[13] Clutch sizes may be larger in other geographical ranges.[3]

Bipedalism

Another notable behavior of the T. torquatus is occasional bipedal locomotion. It can run relatively quickly on its hind feet for a limited distance. It carries its body in an oblique position, lifting its hindlimbs high. It swings its forelimbs in phase with its hindlimbs, i.e. swinging its right forelimb as its right hindlimb comes up, and its left with its left.[4]

Biology

Other aspects of the biology of T. torquatus have been well-studied, from the production[7] and morphology[14] of its spermatozoa, to the histology of its liver,[15] kidneys,[16] [17] and red blood cells.[18] An inventory of the parasites inside the bodies of a number of lizards found three nematode species, Physaloptera lutzi, Parapharyngodon bainae, and Oswaldofilaria chabaudi, as well as an unidentified tapeworm and an acanthocephalan.[19]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Embert, D. 2010. Tropidurus torquatus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2.
  2. Steindorff de Arruda. Jeferson Luis . Arruda. Diego Aguiar. Cechin. Sonia Zanini. Reptilia, Squamata, Tropiduridae, Tropidurus torquatus: Distribution extension . Check List . 2008 . 4 . 3 . 269–271. 10.15560/4.3.269 . free.
  3. Vitt. Laurie J.. species:Laurie Joseph Vitt . Goldberg. Stephen R.. species:Stephen R. Goldberg . Reproductive ecology of two tropical iguanid lizards: Tropidurus torquatus and Platynotus semitaeniatus . Copeia . 1983 . 1983 . 1 . 131–141 . 10.2307/1444707 . 1444707 .
  4. Rocha-Barbosa. O.. Loguercio. M.F.C.. Velloso. A.L.R.. Bonates. A.C.C.. Bipedal locomotion in Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) and Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938 . Brazilian Journal of Biology . 2008 . 68 . 3 . 649–655 . 10.1590/S1519-69842008000300024. 18833488. free.
  5. Kohlsdorf . T. . etal . 2006 . Territory quality and male dominance in Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) . Phyllomedusa . 5 . 2 . 109–118. 10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v5i2p109-118 . free .
  6. Winck. Gisele R.. species:Gisele R. Winck. Vrcibradic. Davor. species:Davor Vrcibradic. Telles. Felipe Bottona da Silva. Borges-Júnior. Vitor Nelson T.. Van Sluys. Monique. species:Monique Van Sluys. Rocha. Carlos Frederico D.. species:Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha. Squamata, Iguania, Anolis punctatus Daudin, 1802 and Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820): Distribution extension and new records for Ilha Grande, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil . Check List . 2011 . 7 . 3 . 270–271 . 10.15560/7.3.270 . free.
  7. Báo. Sônia. Vieira. Gustavo H.C.. Colli. Guarino. species:Guarino Rinaldi Colli. Wiederhecker. Helga . Spermiogenesis and testicular cycle of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) in the Cerrado of central Brazil . Amphibia-Reptilia . 2001 . 22 . 2 . 217–233 . 10.1163/15685380152030445 . free.
  8. [species:Leonardo de Barros Ribeiro|Ribeiro, L.B.]
  9. Wiederhecker, H.C., et al. (2003). The demography of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) in a highly seasonal Neotropical savanna. Phyllomedusa 2 (1): 9-19.
  10. [species:André Luiz Gomes de Carvalho|de Carvalho, A.L.G.]
  11. Siqueira. Carla da Costa. Kiefer. Mara Cíntia. Sluys. Monique Van. Rocha. Carlos Frederico Duarte . Plant consumption in coastal populations of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Reptilia: Squamata: Tropiduridae): how do herbivory rates vary along their geographic range? . Journal of Natural History . 2010 . 45 . 3–4 . 171–182 . 10.1080/00222933.2010.520826. 86755463.
  12. Pietczak. Carolina. de Arruda. Jeferson Luis Steindorff. Cechin. Sonia Zanini. Frugivory and seed dispersal by Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in southern Brazil . Herpetological Journal . 2013 . 23 . 2 . 75–79 .
  13. Kiefer. M. C.. Van Sluys. M.. Rocha. C. F.D. . Clutch and egg size of the tropical lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Tropiduridae) along its geographic range in coastal eastern Brazil . Canadian Journal of Zoology . 2008 . 86 . 12 . 1376–1388 . 10.1139/Z08-106.
  14. Teixeira, R.D., et al. (1999). Ultrastructural study of the spermatozoa of the Neotropical lizards, Tropidurus semitaeniatus and Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae). Tissue & Cell 31 (3): 308-317.
  15. Firmiano, E.M.S., et al. (2011). Histological study of the liver of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus Wied 1820, (Squamata: Tropiduridae). J. Morphol. Sci. 28 (3): 165-170.
  16. Soares, A.M., and F. Fava-de-Moraes. (1983). Histochemistry of the kidney of the tropical lizard Tropidurus torquatus. Gegenbaurs Morphol. Jahrb. 129 (3): 331-344.
  17. Soares . A.M. . Fava-de-Moraes . F. . Morphological and morphometrical study of the kidney of the male tropical lizard Tropidurus torquatus . Anatomischer Anzeiger . 1984 . 157 . 5 . 365–373 . 6529021.
  18. Beraldo. Flávio H.. Garcia. Célia R.S.. Divergent calcium signaling in RBCs from Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata – Tropiduridae) strengthen classification in lizard evolution . BMC Physiology. 23 August 2007. 7. 1. 7. 10.1186/1472-6793-7-7. 17716375. 2018699. En. 1472-6793 . free .
  19. Pereira. Felipe B.. species:Felipe B. Pereira. Sousa. Bernadete M.. de Souza Lima. Sueli . Helminth community structure of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in a rocky outcrop area of Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil . Journal of Parasitology . 2012 . 98 . 1 . 6–10 . 10.1645/GE-2689.1. 21864129. 26567574.

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