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DOI10.47051/YVCP1548 Published June 2, 2021. Updated January 25, 2024. Open access.

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Blue-lipped Tree-Runner (Plica umbra)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Tropiduridae | Plica umbra

English common names: Blue-lipped Tree-Runner, Blue-lipped Tree Lizard, Harlequin Racerunner, Olive Treerunner.

Spanish common names: Trepatroncos de labios azules (Ecuador), lagartija zanquera (Colombia).

Recognition: ♂♂ 32.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=10 cm. ♀♀ 29.9 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=9.4 cm..¹ The Blue-lipped Tree-Runner (Plica umbra) can be identified from other Amazonian lizards by having the following combination of features: keeled imbricate dorsal scales, a conspicuously enlarged interparietal scale, a long non-spinose tail, and a cylindrical body (not depressed) without tufts of spiny scales on the neck.^2–4 The Blue-lipped Tree-Runner is further characterized by having a vertebral ridge from the nape to the middle of the body.⁵ Males differ from females by being larger, having a broader head, larger crest, and a brighter green coloration with dark dorsolateral blotches and a bright yellow throat blotch.^1,6 Their ventral area is reddish brown. Females have an olive green to olive tan dorsum and a light pinkish belly.² The epithelial lining of the mouth is blue.^1,4 Plica umbra differs from P. plica because the latter has a dorsoventrally compressed body, spiny scales on the neck, a black collar, and a different color pattern consisting of blackish bands and spots on a green background.⁴ Plica umbra can also be confused with lizards of the genus Enyaloides, but the scales on the head of these other saurians are not plate-like.³

Figure 1: Individuals of Plica umbra from Amazonian Ecuador: Río Yasuní, Orellana province (); Suchipakari Lodge, Napo province (); Huella Verde Lodge, Pastaza province ().

Natural history: Plica umbra is an arboreal lizard that inhabits lowland seasonally-flooded forests,⁶ terra-firme forests,^2,7 swamps,⁸ and forest patches in areas of savanna,⁷ but may as well be found in plantations⁹ and parks inside cities.² Individuals are more abundant during the rainiest months (April–July in Amazonian Ecuador).⁶ These lizards are diurnal, active between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm² on tree trunks and branches from ground level to 6 m above the ground,^7,10 but they may occur at heights up to 20 m.¹¹ It seems like the preference for large trees corresponds to P. plica, with P. umbra often choosing trees smaller in diameter (20–40 cm).^2,6 On rare occasions is the species observed on fallen tree trunks, palm stems, lianas, or on the ground.⁷ At night, individuals sleep on horizontal branches, vines, or lianas less than 0.7–4 meters above the ground, usually with their body pressed against the perch.⁴ If disturbed, they jump and disappear into the dark.^4,12 Blue-lipped Tree-Runners are ambush predators that feed primarily on ants,^13–15 but complement their diet with wasps, beetles, grasshoppers, katydids, roaches, assassin bugs, butterflies, insect larvae, millepedes, centipedes, and isopods.^8,16–18 However, the diet of the species varies geographically.¹⁹ When threatened, individuals of P. umbra tend to move to the opposite side of the trunk. If grabbed, they can flatten their body and remain immobile, feigning death, but with the eyes open.²⁰ There are records of P. umbra being preyed upon by birds,^21–23 and by snakes (Rhinobothryum lentiginosum,²⁴ Phrynonax sexcarinatus, Chironius, Bothrops,²⁵ and Siphlophis cervinus).²⁶ Blue-lipped Tree-Runners can be hosts to apicomplexan parasites such as Fallisia audaciosa.²⁷ Also, there are records of nematodes parasitizing on individuals of the species.^28,29 Reproduction seems to take place year-round.^4,18,23 Females reach sexual maturity when they attain 6.8–8.1 cm in total length, males at 6.4–8.9 cm.¹⁰ Females lay clutches of 2–4 (usually 2) eggs,^18,30,31 sometimes in communal nests.³²

Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..^33–35 Plica umbra is listed in this category given its wide distribution, presumed stable populations, presence in protected areas, and adaptability to human-modified habitats.³³ The most important threat to some populations is large-scale deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching.³³ Since P. umbra is a strictly arboreal lizard, populations are not likely to survive in areas largely devoid of trees.⁸

Distribution: Plica umbra is widely distributed throughout the Amazon basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

Figure 2: Distribution of Plica umbra in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.

Etymology: The generic name Plica is derived from the Latin word plico (=fold).^36,37 It refers to the double fold in the throat of these lizards. The specific epithet umbra is a Latin word meaning “shadow.”³⁷ It refers to the black coloration around the neck.⁴

See it in the wild: Blue-lipped Tree-Runners can be located with ~2–4% certainty in forested areas throughout the species’ area of distribution in Ecuador. Some of the best localities to find these lizards are Yasuní Scientific Station, Shiripuno Lodge, Huella Verde Lodge, Jatun Sacha Biological Station, and La Selva Lodge. Although individuals can be spotted active on tree trunks during the day, they are much more easily found and approached during the night, when they are sleeping on horizontal branches closer to the ground.

Authors: Alexandra Montoya-Cruz,^aAffiliation: Semillero de Investigación BioHerp, Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia. Andrés F. Aponte-Gutiérrez,^bAffiliation: Grupo de Biodiversidad y Recursos Genéticos, Instituto de Genética, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.^,cAffiliation: Fundación Biodiversa Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. and Juan Acosta-Ortiz^aAffiliation: Semillero de Investigación BioHerp, Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia.

Editor: Alejandro Arteaga^dAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.

Photographers: Alejandro Arteaga,^dAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador. Jose Vieira,^eAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,fAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Sebastián Di Doménico^gAffiliation: Keeping Nature, Bogotá, Colombia.

How to cite? Montoya-Cruz A, Aponte-Gutiérrez AF, Acosta-Ortiz J (2024) Blue-lipped Tree-Runner (Plica umbra). 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/YVCP1548

Literature cited:

1. Etheridge R (1970) A review of the South-American iguanid lizard genus Plica. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 19: 237–256. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.part.24087
2. Avila-Pires TCS (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen 299: 1–706.
3. Peters JA, Donoso-Barros R (1970) Catalogue of the Neotropical Squamata: part II, lizards and amphisbaenians. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., 293 pp.
4. Duellman WE (1978) The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. Publications of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 65: 1–352.
5. Boulenger GA (1885) Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum. Taylor & Francis, London, 497 pp.
6. Duellman WE (2005) Cusco amazónico: the lives of amphibians and reptiles in an Amazonian rainforest. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 433 pp.
7. Ribeiro-Junior MA (2015) Catalogue of distribution of lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Brazilian Amazonia. I. Dactyloidae, Hoplocercidae, Iguanidae, Leiosauridae, Polychrotidae, Tropiduridae. Zootaxa 3983: 001–110. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3983.1.1
8. Vitt LJ, Zani PA, Avila-Pires TCS (1997) Ecology of the arboreal tropidurid lizard Tropidurus (=Plica) umbra in the Amazon region. Canadian Journal of Zoology 75: 1876–1882.
9. Whitworth A, Beirne C (2011) Reptiles of the Yachana Reserve. Global Vision International, Exeter, 130 pp.
10. Dixon JR, Soini P (1986) The reptiles of the upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, 154 pp.
11. Vitt LJ, Magnusson WE, Avila-Pires TCS, Pimentel Lima A (2008) Guide to the lizards of Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Central Amazonia. Áttema Design Editorial, Manaus, 176 pp.
12. Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
13. Vitt LJ, Zani PA (1996) Organization of a taxonomically diverse lizard assemblage in Amazonian Ecuador. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 1313–1335.
14. Vitt LJ (2000) Ecological consequences of body size in neonatal and small-bodied lizards in the neotropics. Herpetological Monographs 14: 288–400. DOI: 10.2307/1467053
15. Vitt LJ, Pianka ER (2004) Historical patterns in lizard ecology: what teiids can tell us about lacertids. In: Pérez-Mellado V, Riera N, Perera A (Eds) The biology of lacertid lizards: evolutionary and ecological perspectives. Institut Menorqui d’ Estudis, Recerca, 139–157.
16. Harvey MB, Gutberlet Jr RL (1998) Lizards of the genus Tropidurus (Iguania : Tropiduridae) from the Serrania de Huanchaca, Bolivia: new species, natural history, and a key to the genus. Herpetologica 54: 492–520.
17. Gasnier TR, Magnusson WE, Lima AP (2011) Foraging activity and diet of four sympatric lizard species in a tropical rainforest. Journal of Herpetology 28: 187–192.
18. Beebe W (1944) Field notes on the lizards of Kartabo, British Guiana, and Caripito, Venezuela. Part 2. Iguanidae. Zoologica 29: 195–216.
19. de Oliveira DP, de Carvalho VT, Hrbek T (2016) Cryptic diversity in the lizard genus Plica (Squamata): phylogenetic diversity and Amazonian biogeography. Zoologica Scripta 45: 630–641. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12172
20. Melo-Sampaio PR (2017) Plica umbra ochrocollaris (Blue-lipped Tree Lizard). Defensive behavior. Herpetological Review 48: 657.
21. Vieira P, Bustamante C, Santana A, dos Santos L, Dantas M (2011) Plica umbra (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Tropiduridae) como item alimentar de Philydor erythrocercum (Pelzeln, 1859) (Aves: Furnariidae). Ornithologia 4: 126.
22. de Souza Omena Junior R, dos Santos JL (2010) Dieta de galos-da-serra Rupicola rupicola Linnaeus 1766 durante o período reprodutivo ao Norte de Manaus, Amazonas. Ornithologia 4: 66–73.
23. Hoogmoed MS (1973) Notes on the herpetofauna of Surinam. IV. The lizards and amphisbaenians of Surinam. Biogeographica 4: 1–419.
24. de Arruda LAG, de Carvalho MA, Kawashita-Ribeiro RA (2015) New records of the amazon banded snake Rhinobothryum lentiginosum (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Mato Grosso State, Brazil, with natural history notes. Salamandra 51: 199–205.
25. Meede U (1984) Herpetologische Studien über Echsen (Sauria) in einem begrenzten Gebiet des Tropischen Regenwaldes in Peru: morphologische Kriterien, Autökologie und Zoogeographie. Artenliste der Reptilien im Untersuchungsgebiet. PhD thesis, Universitat Hamburg, 189 pp.
26. Gaiarsa MP, Alencar LR, Martins M (2013) Natural history of pseudoboine snakes. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 53: 261–283. DOI: 10.1590/S0031-10492013001900001
27. Silva EO, Diniz JAP, Lainson R, DaMatta RA, de Souza W (2006) Ultrastructural study of the gametocytes and merogonic stages of Fallisia audaciosa (Haemosporina: Garniidae) that infect neutrophils of the lizard Plica umbra (Reptilia: Iguanidae). Protist 157: 13–19. DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2005.10.003
28. Slimane B, Durette-Desset MC (1996) Four new species of Oswaldocruzia (Nematoda: Trichostrongylina, Molineoidea) parasitizing amphibians and lizards from Ecuador. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 91: 317–328. DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02761996000300012
29. Ávila RW, da Silva RJ (2011) Helminths of lizards (Reptilia: squamata) from Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Comparative Parasitology 78: 129–139. DOI: 10.1654/4473.1
30. Vitt LJ, De la Torre S (1996) A research guide to the lizards of Cuyabeno. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, 165 pp.
31. Rand S (1982) Clutch and egg size in Brazilian iguanid lizards. Herpetologica 38: 171–178.
32. Magnusson WE, Lima AP (1987) Plica umbra: nesting. Herpetological Review 1: 15–18.
33. Almendáriz A, Aparicio J, Avila-Pires TCS, Perez P (2019) Plica umbra. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T44579859A44579870.en
34. Carrillo E, Aldás A, Altamirano M, Ayala F, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Endara A, Márquez C, Morales M, Nogales F, Salvador P, Torres ML, Valencia J, Villamarín F, Yánez-Muñoz M, Zárate P (2005) Lista roja de los reptiles del Ecuador. Fundación Novum Millenium, Quito, 46 pp.
35. Morales-Betancourt MA, Lasso CA, Páez VP, Bock BC (2005) Libro rojo de reptiles de Colombia. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, 257 pp.
36. Keane M, O’Toole MT (2005) Miller-Keane encyclopedia and dictionary of medicine, nursing, and allied health. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2272 pp.
37. 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 Plica umbra 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
Colombia	Caquetá	Río Caquetá	FMNH 69671; VertNet
Colombia	Caquetá	Vereda Paujilito	iNaturalist; photo examined
Colombia	Putumayo	Bajo Río Guamuéz	FMNH 165209; VertNet
Colombia	Putumayo	Reserva La Isla Escondida	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Cusuime	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Rio Cusuime	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Morona Santiago	Sawastian	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Napo	Ávila Huiruno	CAS SUR 8269; VertNet
Ecuador	Napo	Jatun Sacha Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Napo	Lago Agrio	KU 126776; VertNet
Ecuador	Napo	Limoncocha	LACM 74519; VertNet
Ecuador	Napo	Misahuallí, 6.5 km ESE of	MCZ 171933; VertNet
Ecuador	Napo	Río Tena	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Napo	Río Villano	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Napo	Santa Rosa de Otas	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Napo	Suchipakari Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Napo	Yachana Lodge	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Orellana	Apaica, 16.6 km SE of	Photo by Óscar Pérez
Ecuador	Orellana	Cocaya	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Orellana	Comunidad El Edén	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Orellana	Comunidad Sinchichicta	Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019
Ecuador	Orellana	Hacienda Primavera	MCZ 154582; VertNet
Ecuador	Orellana	Nenkepare	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Orellana	Puerto Francisco de Orellana	MCZ 163954; VertNet
Ecuador	Orellana	Río Bigal Reserve	Photo by Thierry García
Ecuador	Orellana	Río Obepare	Photo by Morley Read
Ecuador	Orellana	Río Yasuní, near Lake Jatuncocha	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Orellana	San José de Payamino	Maynard et al. 2016
Ecuador	Orellana	Shiripuno Lodge	Photo by Fernando Vaca
Ecuador	Orellana	Taracoa	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Orellana	Tigüino	USNM 321086; VertNet
Ecuador	Orellana	Tiputiní Biological Station	Cisneros-Heredia 2003
Ecuador	Orellana	Vía Pompeya Sur–Iro, km 38	Carvajal-Campos & Torres-Carvajal 2018
Ecuador	Orellana	Vía Pompeya Sur–Iro, km 96	Photo by Morley Read
Ecuador	Orellana	Yasuní Scientific Station	This work; Fig. 1
Ecuador	Pastaza	Arajuno	USNM 201123; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Balsaura	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Bataburo Lodge	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Campo Oglán	Photo by Jorge Valencia
Ecuador	Pastaza	Canelos	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Chichirota	USNM 204266; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Comunidad Paparawua	Carla Rodríguez, pers. comm.
Ecuador	Pastaza	Conambo	USNM 201118; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Guache	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Huella Verde Lodge	Photo by Christof Tonini
Ecuador	Pastaza	Juyuintza	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Kallana	MZUTI 5088; examined
Ecuador	Pastaza	Kapawi Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pastaza	Kurintza	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Montalvo	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Pastaza	Oglán River	USNM 204272; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Pintoyacu	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pastaza	Pucayacu (Río Pucayacu)	USNM 204271; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Bobonaza	USNM 204270; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Bufeo	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Capahuari	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Chichirota	USNM 204265; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Huiyayacu	Ortega-Andrade 2010
Ecuador	Pastaza	Río Rutuno	USNM 204273; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Sarayacu	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pastaza	Teresa Mama	USNM 204274; VertNet
Ecuador	Pastaza	Tributario Rio Conambo	USNM 204269; VertNet
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Aguas Negras	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Amazon Dolphin Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Estación PUCE Cuyabeno	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Garzacocha	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	La Selva Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Lago Agrio	Duellman 1978
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Las Pizarras	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo	Borman et al. 2007
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Sani Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Santa Cecilia	Duellman 1978
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Sector Blanca A	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Shushufindi	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Sucumbíos	Tipishca	Carvajal-Campos & Torres-Carvajal 2018
Perú	Amazonas	Kayamas	USNM 316745; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Río Kagka	USNM 316747; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	La Poza	MVZ 175400; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Río Cenepa	MVZ 163069; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Río Conaima	MVZ 163070; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Río Santiago	MVZ 174841; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Shiringa	USNM 568599; VertNet
Perú	Amazonas	Yutipis	MVZ 174839; VertNet
Perú	Loreto	Redondococha	FMNH 2008; VertNet

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