Microlophus

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Cladus: Unidentata Episquamata Toxicofera
Subordo: Iguania
Infraordo: Pleurodonta

Familia: Tropiduridae
Genus: Microlophus
Species (23): M. albemarlensis – M. arenarius – M. atacamensis – M. barringtonensis – M. bivittatus – M. delanonis – M. duncanensis – M. grayii – M. habelii – M. heterolepis – M. indefatigabilis – M. jacobii – M. koepckeorum – M. occipitalis – M. pacificus – M. peruvianus – M. quadrivittatus – M. tarapacensis – M. theresiae – M. theresioides – M. thoracicus – M. tigris – M. yanezi
Name

Microlophus Duméril & Bibron, 1837: 334.

Gender: masculine
Type species: Microlophus lessoni Duméril & Bibron, 1837 (= Stellio peruvianus Lesson, 1830)
Etymology: Greek μικρος mikros „small”; λοφος lophos „crest”.

References
Primary references

Duméril, A.M.C. & G. Bibron, 1837. Erpétologie générale, ou, Histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Vol. 4. Roret, Paris, pp. 571. BHL

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Microlophus . The Reptile Database. Accessed on 2018-11-01.

Vernacular names
English: Lava lizards, Pacific iguanas
español: Largatijas peruanas

Microlophus is a genus of tropidurid lizards native to South America. Around 20 species are recognized and six of these are endemic to the Galápagos Islands,[a] where they are commonly known as lava lizards[2][1] (they are sometimes placed in Tropidurus instead). The remaining, which often are called Pacific iguanas, are found in the Andes and along the Pacific coasts of Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.

The distribution of the lava lizards and their variations in shape, colour, and behaviour show the phenomenon of adaptive radiation so typical of the inhabitants of this archipelago. One species occurs on all the central and western islands, which were perhaps connected during periods of lower sea levels, while one species each occurs on six other more peripheral islands. All have most likely evolved from a single ancestral species. However, as usual for the Tropiduridae, they can change their colour individually to some extent, and members of the same species occurring in different habitats also show colour differences. Thus, animals living mainly on dark lava are darker than ones that live in lighter, sandy environments.

Species
Microlophus delanonis, male, endemic to Española Island, the Galápagos
Microlophus occipitalis in Peru

Listed alphabetically by specific name.[3] (* endemic to the Galapágos Islands).

Microlophus albemarlensis (Baur, 1890) – Galápagos lava lizard*
Microlophus arenarius (Tschudi, 1845)
Microlophus atacamensis (Donoso-Barros, 1960) – Atacamen Pacific iguana
Microlophus barringtonensis (Baur, 1892) – Santa Fe lava lizard*
Microlophus bivittatus (W. Peters, 1871) – San Cristóbal lava lizard*
Microlophus delanonis (Baur, 1890) – Española lava lizard or Hood lava lizard*
Microlophus duncanensis (Baur, 1890) – Pinzón lava lizard*
Microlophus grayii (Bell, 1843) – Floreana lava lizard*
Microlophus habelii (Steindachner, 1876) – Marchena lava lizard*
Microlophus heterolepis (Wiegmann, 1834)
Microlophus indefatigabilis (Baur, 1890) – Santa Cruz lava lizard *
Microlophus jacobii (Baur, 1892) Santiago lava lizard *
Microlophus koepckeorum (Mertens, 1956) – Frost's iguana
Microlophus occipitalis (W. Peters, 1871) – knobbed Pacific iguana
Microlophus pacificus (Steindachner, 1876) – Pinta lava lizard or common Pacific iguana*
Microlophus peruvianus (Lesson, 1830) – Peru Pacific iguana
Microlophus quadrivittatus (Tschudi, 1845) – four-banded Pacific iguana
Microlophus tarapacensis (Donoso-Barros, 1966) – Tarapaca Pacific iguana
Microlophus theresiae (Steindachner, 1901) – Theresia's Pacific iguana
Microlophus theresioides (Donoso-Barros, 1966) – corredor de pica (in Spanish)
Microlophus thoracicus (Tschudi, 1845) – Tschudi's Pacific iguana
Microlophus tigris (Tschudi, 1845) – tiger Pacific iguana
Microlophus yanezi (Ortiz-Zapata, 1980) – Yanez's lava lizard

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Microlophus.
References

Some authors consider certain island populations of M. albemarlensis to be distinct species.[1]

Benavides E, Baum R, Snell HM, Snell HL, Sites JW Jr (2009). "Island Biogeography of Galápagos Lava Lizards (Tropiduridae: Microlophus): Species Diversity and Colonization of the Archipelago". Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (.pdf) Evolution 63 (6): 1606–1626.
Fitter J, Fitter D, Hosking D (2000). Wildlife of the Galalpagos. Updated Edition. Princeton University Press. p.94.
Microlophus. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.