''Oplurus'' is a

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 ...

of Malagasy

iguania Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed ...

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 ...

s, most of which are rock-dwelling

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

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), ...

. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: '' Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and '' Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

crest.

Species

The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed

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 (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguana (''

Oplurus cuvieri ''Oplurus cuvieri'', Common name, commonly known as the collared iguana, the collared iguanid lizard, Cuvier's Madagascar skink, Cuvier's Madagascar swift, and the Madagascan collared iguana, is a species of Arboreal locomotion, arboreal lizard i ...

'') *

Saxicolous This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...

(rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana (''

Oplurus fierinensis ''Oplurus fierinensis'', also known as the Anzamala Madagascar swift or Madagascar blue iguana, is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana endemic to Madagascar. Description As the name suggests, the Madagascar blue iguana is blue, although can be d ...

'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift (''

Oplurus quadrimaculatus ''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'', the Duméril's Madagascar Swift or Madagascar spotted spiny-tailed iguana, is a terrestrial malagasy iguana belonging to the family Opluridae. Description ''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'' can reach a length of . This ig ...

'') (with four dorsal bands, dorsal scales coarsely granular) **Marked Madagascar swift (''

Oplurus saxicola ''Oplurus saxicola'' (marked Madagascar swift) is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana. The name of this species, saxicola, comes from the Latin saxum, meaning stone or rock, as they live within that environment. Description Extremely depressed r ...

'') (different darker color pattern, dorsal scales finely granular) Because of differences is appearance (i.e. the lack of a black neck band), possibly a larger body, and its geographic isolation, the form of ''

'' species found on the Comoro archipelago has recently been given full species rank, as ''

Oplurus comorensis ''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: '' Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and '' Chalarodon steink ...

'' (Meirte 2004). However the

molecular phylogeny Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

research concludes that this full species status is unwarranted.

Distribution

All six species of ''Oplurus'' are all found in

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, with five being

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

. ''

'' is also found on

Grande Comore Grande Comore (; ) is an island in Comoros off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which i ...

. Subfossil remains of a large, extinct, species have also been found on

Aldabra Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll (the largest is Kiritimati), is located east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands (Seychelles), Outer Islands ...

. The two spiny-tailed species (''

'', '' Oplurus cyclurus'') and ''

'' are found in the arid parts of the south and west of

, whilst the other three species are found on the ground and rocks in the central and southern highland regions and the south. ''

'' is the most widely distributed, and the only species found in

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a national park located in northwest Madagascar. It is mainly within the boundaries of Antsalova District, with a small part in the northeast falling within Morafenobe District. The national park centers on ...

Species

Distribution

References

Further reading