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arboreal alligator lizards
Abronia
Abronia is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as alligator lizards, in the family Anguidae. The genus is native to Mexico and Central America. The majority of the species are restricted to southern Mexico and Guatemala, but members of the genus occur as far south as Panama. They inhabit forests and woodlands, mostly in highlands, and some species are often associated with bromeliads. They are typically arboreal, but there are also terrestrial Abronia species. Many species are considered threatened due to habitat loss, killing by locals who mistakenly believe they are venomous, or collection for the captive reptile trade (they are listed on CITES, which restricts international trade). They feed on small animal prey, such as insects, and the females give birth to live young (rather than lay eggs).
Abronia species are medium-sized to fairly large lizards, with a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) up to 35 cm (14 in). They possess intriguing physical traits such as a long prehensile tail that can be regrown if lost, keeled body scales, and a helmet-like structure on the top of the head, which in some species, for example A. lythrochila, has spikes towards the rear. Their colors vary significantly depending on species, including green, bluish-green, brown, yellowish, whitish, gray and black, and some have contrasting mottled or banded patterns.
39 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 39 known species
Morelet's Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia moreletii
Bromeliad Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia taeniata
Terrestrial Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia graminea
Montane Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia monticola
Red-lipped Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia lythrochila
Guerreran Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia deppii
Oaxaca Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia oaxacae
Gadow's Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia gadovii
Mixtecan Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia mixteca
Sierra Juarez Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia juarezi
Dwarf Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia viridiflava
Smith's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia smithi
Monte Cristo Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia montecristoi
Argueta Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia vasconcelosii
Mount Orizaba Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia antauges
Sierra Morena Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia morenica
Sierra de Miahuatlán Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia cuetzpali
Chilpancingo Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia martindelcampoi
Cuchumatanes Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia cuchumatanus
Sierra de Zongolica Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia zongolica
Matuda's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia matudai
Brilliant Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia gaiophantasma
Mount Zempoaltepec Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia fuscolabialis
Chiszar's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia chiszari
Campbell's Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia campbelli
Cope's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia aurita
Northern Chiapas Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia ochoterenai
Torre de Guatel Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia meledona
Salvador Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia salvadorensis
Coapilla Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia cunemica
Anzuetoi Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia anzuetoi
Cáquipec Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia fimbriata
Cerro Baul Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia ornelasi
Reid's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia reidi
Bogert's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia bogerti
Frost’s Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia frosti
Smoothback Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia leurolepis
Mitchell's Arboreal Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia mitchelli
Ramirez's Alligator Lizard
speciesAbronia ramirezi
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Abronia in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 31997.