Published July 16, 2018. Updated December 6, 2023. Open access. | Purchase book ❯ |
Red-throated Dwarf-Iguana (Enyalioides rubrigularis)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Hoplocercidae | Enyalioides rubrigularis
English common names: Red-throated Dwarf-Iguana, Red-throated Woodlizard.
Spanish common names: Iguana enana gargantirroja, lagartija de palo gargantirroja.
Recognition: ♂♂ 32.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=13.0 cm. ♀♀ 29.8 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=11.9 cm..1 Enyalioides rubrigularis differs from other medium-sized spiny lizards in the Amazon foothills of the Andes by its granular dorsal scales, strongly projected spiny vertebral crest, skull roof (casque head flattened at the top), and unique coloration.1,2 The dorsum is bright lime green (olive or brownish in females and juvenile) with scattered black spots (Fig. 1).1,2 The species further differs from all other Enyalioides with which it co-occurs by having caudals increasing in size posteriorly on each autotomic segment, no projecting scales on dorsum and limbs, and a bright red throat coloration in adult males.1,2 Enyalioides rubrigularis is often confused with E. praestabilis, but the latter species occurs north of the known range of E. rubrigularis.
Figure 1: Individuals of Enyalioides rubrigularis from Ecuador: Romerillos Alto, Zamora Chinchipe province (); Bosque Medicinal, Morona Santiago province (); Copalinga Lodge, Zamora Chinchipe province (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: Enyalioides rubrigularis is a diurnal and terrestrial to semi-arboreal lizard that inhabits pristine to moderately disturbed montane rainforests and cloud forests, particularly along streams and rivers.1,3 Red-throated Dwarf-Iguanas are active during the daytime in shaded areas of the forest floor, staying immobile for prolonged periods of time on leaf-litter or on logs. At night, they roost on stems, branches, and ferns 0.1–2.5 m above the ground.1,3 They tend to sleep beside their den, a hole in the ground to which they retreat upon the slightest disturbance.1,3 Their preferred predator avoidance strategy is staying still and blending against the leaf-litter or running into cover.3 There is a record of a snake (Imantodes cenchoa) preying upon a juvenile of E. rubrigularis.4 Gravid females containing 3–4 eggs have been found in Ecuador,1 but the real clutch size is not known.
Conservation: Near Threatened Not currently at risk of extinction, but requires some level of management to maintain healthy populations.. Enyalioides rubrigularis is listed in this category, instead of Vulnerable,5 because current information suggests that the species’ extent of occurrence is greater than the 20,000 km2 threshold needed for the original category (Fig. 2). Furthermore, the species occurs in the Cordillera del Cóndor, an area that still retains the majority of its vegetation cover,6 and is present in protected areas, including Parque Nacional Podocarpus, Refugio de Vida Silvestre El Zarza, Reserva Biológica Cerro Plateado, and Bosque Protector Alto Nangaritza.1,7 However, populations outside protected areas are under threat from large-scale gold mining operations.8
Distribution: Enyalioides rubrigularis is native to an area of approximately 23,604 km2 in the Cordillera del Cóndor, southeastern Ecuador (Fig. 2) and northern Perú.
Figure 2: Distribution of Enyalioides rubrigularis in Ecuador. The star corresponds to the type locality: Finca de Mesías San Martín, Zamora Chinchipe province. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Enyalioides, which comes from the Latin words Enyalius (a genus of neotropical lizards) and the suffix oides (=similar to), refers to the similarity between lizards of the two genera. The specific epithet rubrigularis comes from the Latin ruber (=red) and gula (=throat), and refers to the characteristic reddish throat of adult males.9
See it in the wild: Red-throated Dwarf-Iguanas are usually found in closed-canopy situations rather than in open or semi-open areas. These cryptic reptiles are easier to locate by sampling well-preserved forest trails at night with the aid of a flashlight. In this way, roosting individuals may be detected at a rate of 1–2 per night, particularly at Copalinga Lodge and Romerillos Alto.
Special thanks to Ishita Das for symbolically adopting the Red-throated Dwarf-Iguana and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
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Authors: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador. and Gabriela AguiarbIndependent researcher, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographers: Jose Vieira,cAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,dAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Sebastián Di Doménico,eAffiliation: Keeping Nature, Bogotá, Colombia. and Amanda QuezadafAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,gAffiliation: Laboratorio de Herpetología, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador.
How to cite? Arteaga A, Aguiar G (2023) Red-throated Dwarf-Iguana (Enyalioides rubrigularis). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/WZAM3599
Literature cited:
- Torres-Carvajal O, Etheridge R, de Queiroz K (2011) A systematic revision of Neotropical lizards in the clade Hoplocercinae (Squamata: Iguania). Zootaxa 2752: 1–44. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2752.1.1
- Torres-Carvajal O, de Queiroz K, Etheridge R (2009) A new species of iguanid lizard (Hoplocercinae, Enyalioides) from southern Ecuador with a key to eastern Ecuadorian Enyalioides. ZooKeys 27: 59–71. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.27.273
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book.
- Cruz García K, Chauca N, Zapata N (2023) Predation of Enyalioides praestabilis (Hoplocercidae) by Imantodes cenchoa (Colubridae) in San Miguel de Conchay, Morona Santiago province, Ecuador. Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología 6: 180–183. DOI: 10.22201/fc.25942158e.2023.2.587
- Cisneros-Heredia DF, Valencia J, Almendáriz A, Brito J, Muñoz G (2019) Enyalioides rubrigularis. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T44579003A44579015.en
- MAE (2012) Línea base de deforestación del Ecuador continental. Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Quito, 30 pp.
- Almendáriz A, Simmons JE, Brito J, Vaca-Guerrero J (2014) Overview of the herpetofauna of the unexplored Cordillera del Cóndor of Ecuador. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 8: 45–64.
- Chicaiza G (2010) El enclave minero de la Cordillera del Cóndor. Acción Ecológica, Quito, 39 pp.
- Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Enyalioides rubrigularis in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used. Asterisk (*) indicates type locality.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Bomboiza | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Bosque Medicinal | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Limón, 6 km N of | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Nueva Principal | Photo by Marlene Castro |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Pananza, 5 km W of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Reserva Suritiak | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Vivero El Paraíso | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Warintz, 4 km NW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Alto Machinaza | Almendariz et al. 2014 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Alto Miazi | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Área de amortiguación de Reserva El Zarza | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Concesión Cuy | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Concesión ECSA | Betancourt et al. 2018 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Copalinga Lodge | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Cuenca del Río Bombuscaro | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Cuenca del Río Jambué | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | El Genairo | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | El Zarza | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Finca de Mesías San Martín* | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Finca Yantza | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | La Pituca | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Piuntza | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Reserva Forestal El Zarza | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Río Nangaritza | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Romerillos Alto | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | San Luis, 8 km W of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Santiago | Pazmiño Otamendi 2018 |
| Ecuador | Zamora Chinchipe | Tepuy Las Orquídeas | Almendariz et al. 2014 |
| Perú | Amazonas | Alfonso Ugarte | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2009 |
| Perú | Amazonas | Quebrada Shinganatza | Almendáriz et al. 2014 |
| Perú | Loreto | Between Moyobamba–Cahuapanas | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2009 |
| Perú | Loreto | Cerro de Kampankis | Catenazzi & Venegas 2016 |