Eastern casquehead iguana

{{Speciesbox

| name = Eastern casquehead iguana

| image = Laemanctus longipes (1).jpg

| image_caption = Laemanctus longipes

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Flores-Villela, O. |author-link=species:Oscar Flores-Villela |author2=Townsend, J.H. |author2-link=species:Josiah H. Townsend |author3=Wilson, L.D. |author3-link=species:Larry David Wilson |date=2013 |title=Laemanctus longipes |volume=2013 |page=e.T197492A2490065 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T197492A2490065.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}

| genus = Laemanctus

| species = longipes

| authority = Wiegmann, 1834{{NRDB species|genus=Laemanctus|species=longipes|accessdate=9 April 2015}}

}}

The eastern casquehead iguana (Laemanctus longipes) is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Mexico and Central America.

Geographic range

L. longipes is found in the southern Mexican states of Colima, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Yucatán, and in the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Description

Long and thin, L. longipes can reach {{convert|70|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length, two-thirds of which is a thin tail.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

The scales on the forehead are much larger than those on the back of the head. No projecting triangular scales occur on the posterior border of the head. The gular scales are bicarinate or tricarinate.Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Læmanctus longipes, pp. 105-106).

Sexual dimorphism is present, but is difficult to observe. Males have a somewhat thicker tail root than females, and the hemipenes are sometimes visible when lifting the tail gently.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

=Subspecies=

Laemanctus longipes deborrei Boulenger, 1877
Laemanctus longipes longipes Wiegmann, 1834

Habitat

The eastern casquehead iguana inhabits tropical wet, moist, and seasonally dry forests. It can persist in secondary growth when suitable trees are present.

Behavior

The eastern casquehead iguana is an arboreal species occurring high up in the trees. Rather slow, it sits on trees and bushes above water courses, licking water drops on leaves, and catching insects that walk nearby. L. longipes lives individually, or in a territory with one male and one to three females. Usually, however, males and females only meet for mating, which can happen several times per year.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

Reproduction

L. longipes is oviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.

L. l. deborrei {{small|Boulenger, 1877}}
L. l. longipes {{small|Wiegmann, 1834}}

Etymology

The subspecific name, deborrei, is in honor of Belgian entomologist Alfred Preudhomme de Borre (1833–1905).Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Laemanctus longipes deborrei, p. 67)."Alfred Preudhomme de Borre 1833-1905". Scarab Workers World Directory. www.museum.unl.edu/research/entomology//workers/APreudhomme.htm

Captivity

File:Laemanctus longipes on leaf.jpg File:Laemanctus longipes (El Mirador).jpg, Guatemala, possibly for use as a nesting site.]]

The eastern casquehead iguana is sometimes bred in captivity, but it is not a good terrarium companion for beginners, as it quickly and often dehydrates. Daily misting or a water-dropping system is essential. Temperatures should range between {{convert|25|and|35|C|F}} during the day, and between {{convert|20|and|23|C|F}} during the night. Humidity should range between 70 and 90%. L. longipes is a cricket eater and should receive at least four or five adult crickets every day. It also needs UVA and UVB lighting and an additional vitamin and calcium feed once a week.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}