Tropical Thornytail Iguana

About the Tropical Thornytail Iguana

Uracentron flaviceps, the tropical thornytail iguana or Amazon thornytail iguana is an elusive species of medium-sized arboreal lizard found in the tropical lowlands of the Amazon rainforest. The species was described by French zoologist Alphonse Guichenot in 1855. They are considered to be ant specialists and exhibit communal nesting and a harem-style breeding system in which one male mates with and attends to multiple females. Study of this species has been impeded by difficulties collecting and observing them.

The species was originally named Doryphorus flaviceps by Guichenot in 1855. Since its original identification, the species has undergone a number of taxonomic changes. In 1881, it was renamed Uranocentrum flaviceps by O'Shaughnessy. This change did not last very long and the name was changed to Urocentron castor in 1885. Only minor taxonomic changes were made after 1885, until a change to U. flaviceps in 1925. This name lasted until 1992, when Darrel R. Frost renamed the species Tropidurus flaviceps. The name switched between T. flaviceps and U. flaviceps until 2003, when the genus Tropidurus was split into several genera and the tropical thornytail iguana was... Wikipedia →