Added 11 April 2026.
Dicrodon are three species found in Ecuador and Peru. Despite their common name, these are actually smaller lizards than tegus.
Boulenger characterised the genus as follows: tongue moderately elongate, not retractile, widened and emarginate posteriorly. Lateral teeth compressed transversely, bicuspid. Head with large regular shields; nostril pierced in the anterior nasal. Eyelids developed. Ear exposed. Limbs well developed, each with five digits. Dorsal scales small; ventral plates large, subquadrangular, smooth, forming regular series. A double collarfold. Femoral pores. Tail cyclotetragonal.
Harvey et al diagnosed the genus as follows: Dicrodon and Teius are the only teiids with transversely oriented, bicuspid teeth. Unlike Teius (characters in parentheses), Dicrodon lacks an apical basin on its hemipenis (basin present) and has fused frontoparietals (paired), a fifth toe with four phalanges (fifth toe vestigial, reduced to small nub), and sharply keeled distal digital lamellae under the fourth toe (weakly keeled or smooth). In addition, the first supraocular usually broadly contacts the second supraocular (separated by complete row of granular scales) in Dicrodon, although this character shows some regional variation.
Schmidt’s article on D. holmbergi noted the use of these lizards as food by the local Indians (1957).
These species are very occasionally seen in the pet trade, but there is virtually nothing in print about them. For “desert teiids”, DeVosjoli recommends a desert vivarium with shelters and dry leaf piles.
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QUICK INDEX |
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D. guttulatum, Peru Desert Tegu |
D. heterolepis, Ecuador Desert Tegu |
D. holmbergi, Holmberg’s Desert Tegu |
Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
Dicrodon |
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Peru Desert Tegu |
Ecuador, N Peru |
TL 45 cm, SVL 13 cm |
Description: a single frontoparietal shield, followed by numerous small shields; the anterior head-shields as in the Ameivae; eight upper and six lower labials; chin-shields one anterior and three large pairs, which are followed by smaller ones; gular scales hexagonal, smooth, smallest between the chin-shields; mesoptychial scales imbricate, hardly larger than the largest gulars. A row of large transversely dilated brachial plates, followed by other smaller ones; a row of similar large antebrachials. Six series of femoral plates; three rows of tibial plates, outer largest. Femoral pores ten. Several large, angular, imbricate prseanal plates. Caudal scales elongate, quadrangular, keeled. Olive above, the back and sides with round whitish or yellowish spots; on each side two feebly marked yellowish longitudinal lines, the upper extending from the supraciliaries to the tail, the lower from the shoulder to the hind limb; a yellow, black-edged band along the hinder side of the thigh; belly and lower surface of limbs and tail white; throat, chest, and sides of the belly bluish grey. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Ecuador Desert Tegu |
S Peru |
TL approx 34.5 cm, SVL approx 12 cm |
Description: the inner cusp of each tooth smaller than the outer. Nostril in the anterior nasal close to the posterior and inferior suture. Frontal narrow behind, angulate in front, divided transversely by a suture at the penultimate supraocular scute; frontoparietals very small, separated by the small interparietal, which is in contact with the frontal; two small suboval parietals on each side, and ten or twelve large scales surrounding them behind; four supraoculars, the last two separated from the frontal by granules; five upper and five lower labials; six pairs of large chin-shields, the last three smaller and separated by two plates from the labials, the anterior pair in contact; gular scales small, smooth, a wide band of smaller scales separating them from those of the collar ; margin of collar granular; its middle with five transverse rows of unequal transverse scales. Dorsal scales commencing as granulations on the interscapular region, and gradually increasing in size until they are similar in size to the large ones which cover the tail in whorls; like the latter they are keeled, the keels forming continuous lines; there are thirteen series at the groin, and eighteen one third the length behind the axillae; nuchal scales and those of the sides of the neck and body granular. Ventral plates in eight longitudinal rows. Prseanals in three longitudinal series of alternating rhombic plates. Posterior face of arm, posterosuperior faces of fore arm, superior and posterior faces of femur, and superior face of tibia granular; other faces of limbs scutate. Femoral pores eighteen. Olive above, becoming yellow posteriorly and on the tail; a dark line bounding the dorsal scales on the side, and a row of small blackish spots along the middle of the granular lateral band; femur yellow behind, with two parallel black bands; tail with light bluish spots on the sides; lower surfaces yellowish olive. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Holmberg’s Desert Tegu |
Peru |
TL approx 48 cm, SVL approx 14 cm |
Description: species of Dicrodon with small granular scales on the posterior part of the back, and with a ring of small scales completely surrounding the supraoculars. Habitus of a lacertiform teid, tail 70 per cent of the total length; head large, snout not elongate; limbs well developed, fingers five, toes five; fingers and toes with long compressed claws. Viewed from above, the rostral about three times as long as the internasal suture; a single post-internasal, slightly longer than broad; suture between prefrontals shorter than that between internasals; anterior loreal half as large as the posterior, with a portion on the upper surface of the snout reaching the post-internasal; a large anterior frontal, with an enlarged scute, perhaps the first supraocular, wedged between frontal, prefrontal, superciliaries, and circumsupraoculars on each side; a ring of circumsupraoculars in a single row of enlarged scales (3 to 5) at the anterior inner border followed by about 5 scales in two rows adjacent to the frontals and with smaller scales in three rows adjacent to the superciliaries; superciliaries 8; supraoculars 3; the posterior frontal in contact with the occipital and two post-frontals; enlarged parietals relatively small, widely separated by the occipital, with a row of enlarged scales behind parietals and occipital, behind which are two additional transverse rows of slightly enlarged scales; enlarged upper labials 6-6 to a point beneath the middle of the eye; lower labials 5-5 to same level; sub-labials 9-9; lower eyelid with a row of 4 enlarged scales in the middle. Dorsum with small granular scales, about 106 across mid-body; ventral plates in regular series, in 8 longitudinal and 40 transverse rows; gulars on mid-line about 46; 4 rows of enlarged scales on the forearm; 6-8 rows of enlarged scales on the upper arm; 7-8 rows of enlarged scales across thigh; 4-5 across tibia; 36 lamellae beneath fourth toe; the small lateral row of scales on the posterior side of the toes angulate and projecting. Coloration. colour pattern much faded in preservative, dull greenish-gray above; belly brownish; a light stripe along sides extending from ear-opening to groin and along base of tail; dorsum with scattered small light spots, tending to form obscure dorsolateral lines; top of head and gular region light brown.[SOURCE: Schmidt] |
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“Notes on lizards of the genus Dicrodon”, Dr Karl P Schmidt, Fieldiana Zoology, Volume 39, October 31 1957, No. 9, Chicago Natural History Museum. Describes D. holmbergi. (Sadly, this was a posthumous publication by Dr Schmidt, who had died the previous month from a venomous snake bite).