''Stenocercus'' 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 South American

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, commonly called whorltail iguanas, of 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 ...

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 ...

. This genus has 80 valid described

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), ...

Geographic range

The greatest species richness is in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, but members of the genus ''Stenocercus'' are also found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

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 ...

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 ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, and northern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Species

The following 80 species are recognized, listed alphabetically by scientific name.''Stenocercus''
The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Stenocercus aculeatus'' ( O’Shaughnessy, 1879) *'' Stenocercus albolineatus'' Teixeira, Prates, Nisa, Silva-Martins, Strüssmann & Rodrigues, 2015 *'' Stenocercus amydrorhytus'' G. Köhler & Lehr, 2015 *'' Stenocercus angel'' Torres-Carvajal, 2000 *'' Stenocercus angulifer'' ( F. Werner, 1901) *'' Stenocercus apurimacus'' Fritts, 1972 – Fritts's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus arndti'' Venegas, Echevarria & Alvarez, 2014 *'' Stenocercus asenlignus'' Venegas, García-Ayachi, Chávez-Arribasplata & Garcia-Bravo, 2022 *'' Stenocercus azureus'' ( F. Müller, 1880) *'' Stenocercus boettgeri'' Boulenger, 1911 – Boettger's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus bolivarensis'' Castro & Ayala, 1982 – Bolivar whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus cadlei'' Torres-Carvajal & Mafla-Endara, 2013 *''

Stenocercus caducus ''Stenocercus caducus'' is a species of lizard of the family Tropiduridae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It cove ...

'' ( Cope, 1862) *'' Stenocercus canastra'' Ávila-Pires, Nogueira & Martins, 2019 *'' Stenocercus carrioni'' Parker, 1934 – Parker's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus catherineae'' *'' Stenocercus chinchaoensis'' Venegas, Duran & García-Burneo, 2013 *'' Stenocercus chlorostictus'' Cadle, 1991 *'' Stenocercus chota'' Torres-Carvajal, 2000 *'' Stenocercus chrysopygus'' Boulenger, 1900 – golden whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus crassicaudatus'' ( Tschudi, 1845) – spiny whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus cupreus'' Boulenger, 1885 – copper whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus diploauris'' Venegas, Echevarria, García-Ayachi & Landauro, 2020 *'' Stenocercus doellojuradoi'' ( Freiberg, 1944) *'' Stenocercus dracopennatus'' *'' Stenocercus dumerilii'' ( Steindachner, 1867) *'' Stenocercus empetrus'' Fritts, 1972 – rock whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus erythrogaster'' ( Hallowell, 1856) *'' Stenocercus eunetopsis'' Cadle, 1991 *'' Stenocercus festae'' ( Peracca, 1897) – Peracca's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus fimbriatus'' Ávila-Pires, 1995 – western leaf lizard *'' Stenocercus flagracanthus'' *'' Stenocercus formosus'' ( Tschudi, 1845) *'' Stenocercus frittsi'' Torres-Carvajal, 2005 *'' Stenocercus guentheri'' (Boulenger, 1885) – Günther's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus haenschi'' (F. Werner, 1901) – Haensch's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus huancabambae'' Cadle, 1991 *'' Stenocercus humeralis'' ( Günther, 1859) – patterned whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus ica'' Mendoza, Alejandro; Ramírez, César; Barrera, Diego; Aguilar-Puntriano, César (2021). "A New Species of the Genus ''Stenocercus'' (Iguania: Tropiduridae) from the Peruvian Pacific Coast (Ica Region)". ''Salamandra'' 57 (1): 1-14. *'' Stenocercus imitator'' Cadle, 1991 *'' Stenocercus iridescens'' (Günther, 1859) *'' Stenocercus ivitus'' Fritts, 1972 – ivy whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus johaberfellneri'' G. Köhler & Lehr, 2015 *'' Stenocercus lache'' Corredor, 1983 *'' Stenocercus latebrosus'' Cadle, 1998 *'' Stenocercus leybachi'' Venegas, García-Ayachi, Chavez-Arribasplata & Garcia-Bravo, 2022 *'' Stenocercus limitaris'' Cadle, 1998 *'' Stenocercus marmoratus'' ( A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837) *'' Stenocercus melanopygus'' Boulenger, 1900 – dark whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus modestus'' (Tschudi, 1845) – modest whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus nigrobarbatus'' Venegas, Echevarria, García-Ayachi & Landauro, 2020 *'' Stenocercus nigrocaudatus'' Venegas, García-Ayachi, Chávez-Arribasplata & Garcia-Bravo, 2022 *'' Stenocercus nigromaculatus'' Noble, 1924 – black-spotted whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus nubicola'' Fritts, 1972 – cloud whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus ochoai'' Fritts, 1972 – Ochoa whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus omari'' Venegas, Echevarría, García-Burneo & Koch, 2016 *'' Stenocercus orientalis'' Fritts, 1972 – eastern whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus ornatissimus'' ( Girard, 1857) – lesser ornate whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus ornatus'' ( Gray, 1845) – Girard's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus pectinatus'' (A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835) *'' Stenocercus percultus'' Cadle, 1991 *'' Stenocercus philmayi'' *'' Stenocercus praeornatus'' Fritts, 1972 – greater ornate whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus prionotus'' Cadle, 2001 *'' Stenocercus puyango'' Torres-Carvajal, 2005 *'' Stenocercus qalaywasi'' Venegas, García-Ayachi, Chávez-Arribasplata & Garcia-Bravo, 2022 *'' Stenocercus quinarius'' Nogueira & Rodrigues, 2006 *'' Stenocercus rhodomelas'' (Boulenger, 1899) – red-black whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus roseiventris'' D’Orbigny in A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837 – rose whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus santander'' Torres-Carvajal, 2007 *'' Stenocercus scapularis'' (Boulenger, 1901) *'' Stenocercus simonsii'' Boulenger, 1899 – Simons' whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus sinesaccus'' Torres-Carvajal, 2005 *'' Stenocercus squarrosus'' Nogueira & Rodrigues, 2006 *'' Stenocercus stigmosus'' Cadle, 1998 *'' Stenocercus torquatus'' Boulenger, 1885 *'' Stenocercus trachycephalus'' ( A.H.A. Duméril, 1851) – Duméril's whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus tricristatus'' (A.H.A. Duméril, 1851) *'' Stenocercus variabilis'' Boulenger, 1901 – variable whorltail iguana *'' Stenocercus varius'' Boulenger, 1885 – keeled whorltail iguana '' Nota bene'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Stenocercus''.

Gallery

Stenocercus ornatissimus "Lagartija de Montaña", San Jerónimo de Surco, Huarochiri, Lima, Perú.JPG , ''S. ornatissimus'', San Jerónimo de Surco, Huarochiri,

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, Peru Spiny Whorltail Iguana, Machu Picchu.jpg, ''S. crassicaudatus'', spiny whorltail iguana, Machu Picchu, Peru

Geographic range

Species

Gallery

References

Further reading