Plica (lizard)
Plica is a genus of tropidurid lizards found in South America and the Caribbean. Species in the genus Plica are arboreal, medium-sized lizards.[1]
| Plica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Plica umbra | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Tropiduridae |
| Genus: | Plica Gray, 1831 |
| Type species | |
| Draco plica Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
|
At least 8, see article. | |
Taxonomy
For a long time, the genus Plica was considered to include four species: two relatively widespread ones (P. plica and P. umbra) and two tepuis-associated species with narrow distributions (P. lumaria and P. pansticta). However, recent research has shown that P. plica is a cryptic species complex, and four new species were described in 2013. The species count will likely increase as there are still several undescribed species.[1]
Species
The currently recognized species are the following:[2]
- Plica lumaria Donnelly & C. Myers, 1991
- Plica pansticta (C. Myers & Donnelly, 2001)
- Plica plica (Linnaeus, 1758) – collared tree runner, tree runner
- Plica umbra (Linnaeus, 1758) – blue-lipped tree lizard, harlequin racerunner
Formerly included in Plica plica:[1]
- Plica caribeana Murphy & Jowers, 2013 – Caribbean treerunner
- Plica kathleenae Murphy & Jowers, 2013 – Kathleen’s treerunner
- Plica medemi Murphy & Jowers, 2013 – Medem’s treerunner
- Plica rayi Murphy & Jowers, 2013 – Ray’s treerunner
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plica.
References
- Murphy JC, Jowers MJ (2013). "Treerunners, cryptic lizards of the Plica plica group (Squamata, Sauria, Tropiduridae) of northern South America". ZooKeys (355): 49–77. doi:10.3897/zookeys.355.5868. PMC 3867189. PMID 24363569.
- Plica at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 May 2014..