Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cuadrado, Stefania S., Loor, Yelsin A. & Narváez, Andrea E., 2020, Herpetofauna of Engabao, Playas Canton, Ecuador, with notes on the occurrence of Ceratoprhys stolzmanni (Steindachner, 1882), Check List 16 (3), pp. 665-674 : 669

Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Figure 2D

Material examined. ECUADOR, province of Guayas, Playas Canton, Ecuador • 1 juvenile, 93 mm; Engabao, Playas Province ; 02°36′46″S, 080°26′32″W; 12 m a.s.l; 15 Mar. 2019; S. S. Cuadrado and Y. A. Loor leg.; found in sparse vegetation away from waterbodies .

Identification. This iguanid has a large dorsal crest that extends to more than a third of the tail, enlarged, smooth scales, and a gular sac with spikes. The average SVL of males is 1200–1400 mm, and of females, 900–1100 mm. Females reach 75% of the weight of the males. This species is distinguished from Polychrus gutturosus by the presence of dorsal and nuchal ridges and by the strongly compressed tail ( Savage 2002; Guerra-Correa and Ro- dríguez-Guerra 2017).

We found this species at both sites during the day between 10:00 and 15:00. It was mainly observed in vegetation in high perches such as trees and shrubs (3–4 m). These iguanas were observed feeding on leaves or basking in the ground.

Distribution. Iguana iguana is occurs in Costa Rica,

Panama, and South America, from sea level to 1000 m. It has been introduced to southern Florida and Hawaii. In Ecuador, it has been reported in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Guayas, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Los Ríos, El Oro, Cañar, and Loja provinces (Guerra-Correa and Ro- dríguez-Guerra 2017).