Isla San Esteban Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura conspicuosa
Dickerson, 1919
TEE-noh-SAW-rah — kon-SPIK-yoo-oh-suh
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Native to Isla San Esteban, Sonora, Mexico. A population of Ctenosaura established at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Arizona contains mitochondrial DNA from the Isla San Esteban Spiny-tailed Iguana, but it remains uncertain whether this represents a pure population of this species or a hybrid swarm with the C. macrolopha (Edwards et al., 2005, Sonoran Herpetologist 18: 122–125). Not listed in Meshaka et al. (2022, Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of the United States. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida).
(Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.07.02.07.51.09)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.03 MB
Province/State Distribution:
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its striking appearance.
Ctenosaura — From Greek ktenos (κτενός), “comb,” and saura (σαύρα), “lizard.” The name means “comb lizard,” referring to the comb-like crest of enlarged spines running along the back and tail.
conspicuosa — From Latin conspicuus, “visible,” “remarkable,” or “striking,” with the feminine suffix -osa, meaning “full of” or “noteworthy for.” Refers to the species’ large size and prominent appearance, especially in contrast with other island iguanas.
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1919
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Dickerson, Mary C. Diagnoses of twenty-three new species and a new genus of lizards from Lower California. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 41(10):461-477
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