Dracaena

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D. guianensis, Northern Caiman Lizard, Guyana Caiman Lizard

D. paraguayensis, Paraguay Caiman Lizard

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

Size

Notes

Dracaena

D. guianensis

Northern Caiman Lizard, Guyana Caiman Lizard

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, French Guiana, Brazil, poss. Suriname

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Head large, not depressed, subpyramidal. Nostrils opening on the upper surface of the snout, on the canthus rostralis; anterior nasals forming a long suture. Upper head shields: a pair of nasofrontals, three smaller prasfrontals on a line, followed by several irregular small shields, a large frontal, a pair of frontoparietals, three subequal parietals on a line, four or five supraoculars; occiput with numerous small shields; a row of three or four large supratemporals; two or three loreals and several small frenoorbitals; a row of infraorbitals; labials large, eight or nine upper and eleven to thirteen lower; chin-shields, an anterior and nine or ten pairs, all except the anterior separated from the labials by smaller shields, the outer row of which is the largest; gular and mesoptychial scales flat, subhexagonal. Dorsal scales small, irregular, intermixed with irregularly arranged large oval strongly keeled tubercles. Abdominal scales small, narrow, feebly keeled, in thirty-four or thirty-six transverse and about forty longitudinal series. Prseanal scales small, irregular. Scales on the limbs small. Four or five small pores on each side in front of the praeanal region and two or three under each thigh. Caudal scales narrow, feebly keeled, forming annuli; the dorsal tubercles are gradually modified into a strong double crest along the upper surface of the tail. Olive brown above, flanks with more or less distinct lighter spots; the sutures of the labials and chin-shields black; lower surface yellowish, marbled with blackish. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

D. paraguayensis

Paraguay Caiman Lizard

Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia

Max SVL approx 27 cm, tail about 2x SVL

Found Diagnosis: a large teiid, with tongue slightly widened but not emarginate posteriorly. Teeth acrodontoid: pre-maxillary 4, rather conical; lateral 5, very large, molar-like, with oval, flattened, crushing top, the 1^st and 5^th smaller; mandibular 10 (anterior 4, conical, smaller; posterior 6, flat, increasing in size posteriorly). A double gular fold. Head large, subpyramidal; nostril pierced in the suture between 2 nasals, on the canthus rostralis; ear exposed; upper, head shields more like those in Crocodilurus lacertinus than in D. guianensis. Description: rostral large, subpentagonal; internasals forming a long suture; a large naso-frontal, hexagonal, much wider than long; a pair of large prefrontals, sometimes separated from each other by a small shield; a very large frontal, usually divided into 3 shields (2 anterior, subequal, or one much larger than the other; one posterior, sub-hexagonal, largest); a pair of fronto-parietals; an interparietal, rather small, and a pair of parietals, larger, sometimes subdivided; a pair of anterior occipitals and a pair of posterior occipitals, each pair sometimes divided into four shields; a row of 5 supraoculars separated from the orbit by 2 rows of small scales; four large supratemporals, a pre-orbital; 2 frenals followed by 2 or 3 rows of small freno-orbitals; a row of large infra-orbital scales; labials large, followed by a row of 5 or 6 smaller shields to the lip angle: supralabials 7 to 9, infralabials 7 to 10; an anterior, single chin-shield, followed by 8 or 9 pairs, all except the foremost separated from the infralabials by smaller shields enlarging posteriorly; gular and mesoptychial scales flat, sub-hexagonal. Dorsal scales small, irregular, intermixed with irregularly arranged, large, ovoid, strongly keeled tuberculoid scales. Abdominal scales small, narrow, feebly keeled, in 36 to 38 transverse, and 42 to 46 longitudinal series, each scale usually with a pit near the free edge. Pre-anal scales small, irregular. Limb scales small. Four to 6 pores on each side in front of the pre-anal region; 3 to 4 under each thigh. Caudal scales very narrow, feebly keeled, forming rings and with pointed free edge all around the tail; the dorsal tuberculoid scales gradually changing into a strong crest along each side of the upper surface of the tail. Coloration: olive-brown above with interrupted lighter cross-bands changing into irregular spots on the flanks and tail sides; labial and chin sutures faintly marked with black; abdominal surface yellowish, marbled with grayish black.