The western basilisk (Basiliscus galeritus), also known as the red-headed basilisk, is a large species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is endemic to northwestern South America.
Etymology The specific name, galeritus, which is Latin, means "wearing a hood", referring to the head crest."Basiliscus galeritus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Habitat and geographic range B. galeritus inhabits forests at altitudes of in western Colombia and western Ecuador in South America.Bustamante-Enríquez LM, Arteaga AF (2012). Western Basilisk (Basiliscus galeritus). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo. Version 2012.a Earlier reports of its occurrence in Central America are mistaken and actually refer to young of the closely related common basilisk.Savage JM (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 954 pp. . p. 429.Köhler G (2000). Reptilien und Amphibien Mittelamerikas, Band 1: Krokodile, Schildkröten, Echsen [Central American Reptiles and Amphibians, Volume 1: Crocodiles, Turtles, Lizards]. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton. 158 pp. . p. 72. (in German).
Description Males of B. galeritus reach a total length (including tail) up to about , while females reach about .
Its body color is olive-green with a reddish-brown underbelly. The throat is white to yellow. On the back it has a small crest similar to that of young individuals of the common basilisk. It may have a narrow white stripe or a row of white dots on each side. It has no back flap. The adult males bear a round head flap/crest.
Invasive species
The western basilisk has been introduced to Gorgona Island, Colombia. This species is not native to the island, and thus, is endangering native species that reside on the island, such as the endemic blue anole (Anolis gorgonae).
Conservation status The western basilisk is common and not threatened.
Gallery
References
Further reading 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. (Basiliscus galeritus, pp. 110–111). Duméril AMC, Duméril AHA (1851). Catalogue méthodique de la collection des reptiles du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris [Systematic Catalogue of the Collection of Reptiles of the Museum of Natural History of Paris]. Paris: Gide et Baudry / Roret. 224 pp. (Basiliscus galeritus, new species, p. 61). (in French).
External links
Basiliscus galeritus photograph