''Plica plica'' 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 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 ...

Tropiduridae The Tropiduridae are a family of iguanid lizards."Tropiduridae". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. The family is sometimes considered a subfamily, Tropidurinae. The subfamily is native to South America, including the islands of Tri ...

, 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".
''IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians'' 19 (3): 215–216. collared tree runner,Projects Information for Conservation in Peru: Recorded Wildlife at Taricaya.
Projects Abroad.tree runner, and harlequin racerunner.Reptiles of the Konashen COCA, Guyana.
Conservation International. 2013. In Guyana it is known as ''wakanama''.

Geographic range

''Plica plica'' is native to South America, including Colombia,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Suriname,

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Bolivia,Kirigin-Aguilar AJ. (2012)
"''Primer registro de ''Plica plica'' (Linnaeus, 1758) para el departamento de La Paz, Bolivia. Comentarios sobre la extensión de la distribución geográfica para ''Plica umbra'' (Linnaeus 1758), (Squamata: Tropiduridae)'' ".
''Cuad. Herpetol.'' 26 (1): 61-62. (in Spanish).

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and

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 can also be found in the Caribbean, on

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

.''Plica plica''.
The Reptile Database. It was long ago collected in Grenada, but these specimens were likely

waif A waif (from the Old French ''guaif'', "stray beast")Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/waif (accessed: June 02, 2008) is a person removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance ...

Biology

''Plica plica'' is diurnal, active during the day, and

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

, living most of its life adhered to the sides of tree trunks. It comes down from the trees only to lay eggs, which it places inside rotting

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm ...

s and in palm litter. The female produces at least two clutches per reproductive season, with an average clutch size of three eggs. Larger females lay more eggs than smaller ones.Vitt LJ (1991)
"Ecology and life history of the scansorial arboreal lizard ''Plica plica'' (Iguanidae) in Amazonian Brazil".
''Canadian Journal of Zoology'' 69 (2): 504-11. The embryos are sensitive to vibration; lightly rolling an egg can induce it to hatch early. The hatchling is known to explode from the egg and immediately begin running, reaching up to half a meter on its first sprint.Doody JS (2011)
"Environmentally cued hatching in reptiles".
''Integr. Comp. Biol.'' 51 (1): 49-61. The diet of the lizard is composed of insects, and it specializes on

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

s.Goldberg SR et al. (2009)
"Diet and parasite communities of two lizard species, ''Plica plica'' and ''Plica umbra'' from Brazil and Ecuador".
''The Herpetological Journal'' 19 (1): 49-52.

Description

The male of ''Plica plica'' can exceed snout-vent length (SVL), the female . The body is flattened in shape, likely an adaptation to sticking to vertical tree trunks. It has bunches of spines on its neck. It is mostly

olive green Olive is a dark yellowish-green color, like that of unripe or green olives. As a color word in the English language, it appears in late Middle English. Shaded toward gray, it becomes olive drab. Variations Olivine Olivine is the typica ...

or greenish in color with dark brown mottling or banding. The chin is whitish, the throat is black, and there is a black "collar" around its neck.Etheridge R (1950)
"A review of the South American iguanid lizard genus ''Plica'' ".
''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)'' 19: 237. It is " mint-chocolate-chip-colored,"Holloway M (1993)
"Sustaining the Amazon".
''Scientific American'' July, 1993. a color tone that helps it blend into mossy tree bark.

Habitat

The habitat of ''Plica plica'' is mainly primary and secondary forest. There it prefers to live on the largest of the forest trees. This lizard has a low active

body temperature Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

, around 30.7 °C. This may be related to its habit of remaining on trees in shady forest, where there is little opportunity to bask.Ribeiro LB et al. (2008)
"Thermoregulatory behavior of the saxicolous lizard, ''Tropidurus torquatus'' (Squamata, Tropiduridae), in a rocky outcrop in Minas Gerais, Brazil".
''Herpetological Conservation and Biology'' 3 (1): 63-70.

Parasites

''Plica plica'' harbors

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s such the digenea flatworm '' Mesocoelium monas'' and several nematodes, such as '' Oswaldocruzia vitti'', '' Physalopteroides venancioi'', '' Strongyluris oscari'', and '' Physaloptera retusa''. The protozoan '' Plasmodium guyannense'' was first described from this lizard in 1979.Telford SR (1979)
"''Reconsideración taxonómica de algunas especies de ''Plasmodium'' de lagartijas iguánidas'' ".
''Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparee'' ''54'' (2): 129-144. (in Spanish).

In tribal mythology

One tribe in the Tucano culture of Colombia holds ''Plica plica'' in high regard. It is one of the most important animals in their

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

, and they call it ''vai-mahse'', meaning "lord of animals". It is also a

phallic symbol A phallus is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisel ...

. The lizard's

hemipenis A hemipenis (plural hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes, lizards and worm lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like ...

is visible at times, an organ that has been described as "aberrant" in shape, and a "small, red stick" that gives the animal special powers. Tucano people under the influence of

hallucinogen Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...

s have created artwork featuring various symbols of masculinity, with some representations bearing strong resemblance to the hemipenis. Böhme W (1983)
"The Tucano Indians of Colombia and the iguanid lizard ''Plica plica'': Ethnological, herpetological and ethological implications".
''Biotropica'' 15 (2): 148-150.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3392436 Plica Reptiles of Bolivia Reptiles of Brazil Reptiles of Colombia Reptiles of Ecuador Reptiles of French Guiana Reptiles of Suriname Reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago Reptiles of Venezuela Reptiles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus