The spiny weapontail (''Hoplocercus spinosus'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

belonging to the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Hoplocercus'' in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Hoplocercidae Hoplocercidae are a family of lizards native to the tropical forests, woodlands and savanna-like habitats of Central America, Central and South America. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Hoplocercinae. 20 species in two genera are ...

. The species is found in the

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

and adjacent Cerrado–

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

mosaics in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Taxonomy

''H. spinosus'' is quite distantly related to the other members of

, as it is believed to have diverged from these about 35 million years ago.

Description

The spiny weapontail has a total length (including tail) of about . As suggested by its name, it has a short, highly spiny tail (it is superficially similar to ''

Uromastyx ''Uromastyx'' is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is native to Africa and the Middle East (West Asia). Member species are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus ...

'', ''

Cachryx ''Cachryx'' is a genus of lizards in the family Iguanidae, native to the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent Guatemala. Taxonomy There are two described species in this genus. Until 2017, they were genererally included in ''Ctenosaura ...

'' and the smaller species in ''

Ctenosaura ''Ctenosaura'' is a lizard genus commonly known as spinytail iguanas or ctenosaurs. The genus is part of the large lizard family Iguanidae and is native to Mexico and Central America. The name is derived from two Greek words: (), meaning "com ...

'').

Behavior

When disturbed, ''H. spinosus'' retreats to its burrow with its tail orientated towards the entrance. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

Diet

''H. spinosus'' preys upon

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

Reproduction

''H. spinosus'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

. www.reptile-database.org.

References

* Ávila-Pires TCS (1995). "Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata)". ''Zoologische Verhandelingen'' (Leiden) 299: 1-706. * Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II., ... Iguanidæ ....'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (genus ''Hoplocercus'', p. 199; species ''H. spinosus'', pp. 199–200). * Dirksen L, De la Riva I (1999). "The lizards and amphisbaenians of Bolivia (Reptilia, Squamata): checklist, localities, and bibliography". ''Graellsia'' 55: 199-215. * Estes R, Pregill G (editors) (1988). ''Phylogenetic relationships of the Lizard Families: Essays Commemorating Charles L. Camp''. Redwood City, California: Stanford University Press. xvi + 632 pp. * Fitzinger L (1843). ''Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae''. Vienna: Braumüller et Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (''Hoplocercus'', new genus, p. 78; ''H. spinosus'', new species, p. 78). (in Latin). * Harvey MB (1995). "A preliminary list of the reptiles and amphibians of the El Refugio biological reserve". pp. 21–26. ''In'': Forsyth A (editor) (1995). ''A report on aspects of biodiversity and conservation potential in El Refugio''. Washington, District of Columbia: Conservation International. Hoplocercidae Fauna of the Cerrado Lizards of Brazil Reptiles of Bolivia Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger {{Lizard-stub

Taxonomy

Description

Behavior

Diet

Reproduction

References

Further reading