Sauromalus slevini, also known as the Monserrat chuckwalla or Slevin's chuckwalla, is a species of chuckwalla belonging to the family Iguanidae. S. slevini is native to three small islands in the Sea of Cortés.
Taxonomy and etymology
The generic name, Sauromalus, is said to be a combination of two ancient Greek words: sauros meaning "lizard" and omalus meaning "flat".[3] The proper ancient Greek word for "flat" is however homalos (ὁμαλός) or homalēs (ὁμαλής).[4]
Due to its restricted range S. slevinii is a CITES protected animal.
Description
S. slevini has the following coloration. The base color on its back is brown or olive green, with a yellow middorsal band, but can be spotted, marbled, or cross-banded with red or darker brown. The head, tail, and limbs are unicolor, and the tail may be faintly cross-banded with darker brown. The ventral surfaces are dull brown, marbled or spotted with dark brown, especially on the throat.
Habitat and diet
The Montserrat chuckwalla prefers dwelling in lava flows and rocky areas with nooks and crannies available for a retreat when threatened. These areas are typically vegetated by creosote bush and cholla cacti, which form the staple of its diet as the chuckwalla is primarily herbivorous. The chuckwalla also feeds on leaves, fruit and flowers of annuals, perennial plants, and even weeds; insects represent a supplementary prey if eaten at all.
^Liddell HG, Scott R (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
^Hollingsworth, Bradford D. (2004). "The Evolution of Iguanas: an Overview and a Checklist of Species". Iguanas: Biology and Conservation. University of California Press. pp. 43–44. doi:10.1525/9780520930117-006. ISBN978-0-520-23854-1.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sauromalus slevini, p. 245).
^Van Denburgh, John (1922). "The Reptiles of Western North America. Volume I. Lizards" and "Volume II. Snakes and Turtles". Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences10: 1–612; 613–1028. (Sauromalus slevini, new species, p. 97).