The Guatemalan beaded lizard (Heloderma charlesbogerti), also called commonly the Motagua Valley beaded lizard, is a highly endangered species of beaded lizard, a venomous lizard in the family Helodermatidae. The species is endemic to the dry forests of the Motagua Valley in southeastern Guatemala,Ariano-Sánchez, Daniel; Salazar, Gilberto (2007). "Notes on the distribution of the endangered lizard, Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti, in the dry forests of eastern Guatemala: an application of multi-criteria evaluation to conservation". Iguana 14: 152-158. an ecoregion known as the Motagua Valley thornscrub. It is the only allopatric beaded lizard species, separated from the nearest population (H. alvarezi) by of unsuitable habitat. The Guatemalan beaded lizard is the rarest and most endangered species of beaded lizard, and fewer than 200 individuals of this animal are believed to exist in the wild, making it one of the most endangered lizards in the world. In 2007, it was transferred from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES due to its critical conservation status.Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 2007. Resume of the 14th Convention of the Parts. The Hague. The Netherlands.
Taxonomy The Guatemalan beaded lizard belongs to the family Helodermatidae, which forms part of a clade of reptiles with toxin-secreting glands.Ariano-Sánchez D (2008). "Envenomation by a wild Guatemalan beaded lizard Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti ". Clinical toxicology 46 (9): 897-899. This species differs from other Heloderma species in coloration and size, being the smallest one. Home ranges and behavior of these lizards were investigated using radiotelemetry at the dry forests of Zacapa, Guatemala.Ariano-Sánchez D (2006). "The Guatemalan beaded lizard: endangered inhabitant of a unique ecosystem". Iguana 13: 178-183. The average home range for individuals was found to be 130 ha.
This species was first discovered in 1984 by an agricultural laborer named D. Vasquez in Guatemala's Motagua Valley.
Etymology The generic name, Heloderma, means "studded skin", from the Ancient Greek words hêlos (ηλος), meaning "the head of a nail or stud", and derma (δερμα), meaning "skin".
The specific name, charlesbogerti, honors US herpetologist Charles Mitchill Bogert.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti, p. 30).
Diet H. charlesbogerti dwells in arroyos characterized by high densities of bird nests of doves and parakeets, whose eggs form the primary component of its diet.Ariano-Sánchez, Daniel (2003). "Distribución e historia natural del escorpión, Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti Campbell y Vannini, (Sauria: Helodermatidae) en Zacapa, Guatemala y caracterización de su veneno ". Guatemala: U.V.G., p. 68. (in Spanish). These birds nest closer to the ground in these arroyos in trees with branches thick enough to support the weight of this heavy-bodied lizard. It is also known to prey upon insects, such as beetles and crickets. The eggs of the Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura palearis), an endangered species endemic to the same region, are an important food source for the Guatemalan beaded lizard, thereby possibly linking the status of the two.
References
Further reading Reiserer, Randall S.; Schuett, Gordon W.; Beck, Daniel D. (2013). "Taxonomic reassessment and conservation status of the beaded lizard, Heloderma horridum (Squamata: Helodermatidae)". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 7 (1): 74–96. (Heloderma charlesbogerti, elevated to species).
Owens, T.C. and B. Lock, Endangered Relic: An Introduction to One of the Most Endangered Lizards in the World, the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma h. charlesbogerti). Reptiles. October 2006.
External links . . Heloderma Project ZOO ATLANTA, IRCF, ZOOTROPIC, project .