Published July 16, 2018. Updated December 5, 2023. Open access. | Gallery ❯ |
Red-eyed Dwarf-Iguana (Enyalioides oshaughnessyi)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Hoplocercidae | Enyalioides oshaughnessyi
English common names: Red-eyed Dwarf-Iguana, O’Shaughnessy’s Dwarf Iguana.
Spanish common names: Iguana enana de ojos rojos, lagartija de palo ojirroja.
Recognition: ♂♂ 30.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=19.2 cm. ♀♀ 26.3 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=17.5 cm..1,2 Enyalioides oshaughnessyi can be distinguished from other lizards in its area of distribution by having a green coloration, granular dorsal scales, a strongly projected spiny vertebral crest, and a skull roof (casque head flattened at the top).1,2 The species is unique among its congeners in northwestern Ecuador in having red eyes and lacking a pale vertical line above the arm (Fig. 1). The most similar species is E. altotambo, but this other dwarf iguana has brown eyes and occurs north of the known range of E. oshaughnessyi.1
Figure 1: Individuals of Enyalioides oshaughnessyi from Pichincha province, Ecuador: Mashpi Lodge (); Milpe Bird Sanctuary (); Kapari Lodge (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: Enyalioides oshaughnessyi is a locally frequent lizard that is difficult to observe during the daytime due to its intricate green camouflage. This species occurs in higher densities in pristine rather than secondary lowland rainforests and prefers to dwell along streams.1,3 Red-eyed Woodlizards are active during the daytime on shaded areas of the forest floor, staying immobile for prolonged periods of time on the leaf-litter or on logs.3 At night, they roost on stems and tree trunks 0.8–2.8 m above the ground.1,3 Individuals of E. oshaughnessyi avoid predators by staying still and blending against the vegetation or by moving up and around trunks.3
Conservation: Vulnerable Considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the mid-term future..4 Enyalioides oshaughnessyi is listed in this category primarily because, at the time of the assessment in 2015, the species’ extent of occurrence was estimated to be around 20,000 km2.4 Although current estimates (Fig. 2) suggest a much broader range, the species still faces mounting habitat pressures from deforestation, notably driven by the transformation of rainforests into palm oil plantations. Approximately 74% of the species’ potential distribution area has already been converted into pastures and agricultural fields.5 Furthermore, the area experiences an annual loss of an additional 254 km2 of forest cover. Nearly all lowland localities now lie extensively deforested, rendering the survival of the species there unlikely. Thankfully, periodic recordings of E. oshaughnessyi occur within national parks and private reserves.
Distribution: Enyalioides oshaughnessyi is endemic to an area of approximately 34,536 km2 in the Chocoan lowlands and adjacent foothills of the Andes in west-central Ecuador (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Enyalioides oshaughnessyi in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Enyalioides, which comes from the Latin words Enyalius (a genus of neotropical lizards) and the suffix oides (=similar to), refers to the similarity between lizards of the two genera. The specific epithet oshaughnessyi honors Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy (1844–1881), an English herpetologist who worked at the British Museum of Natural History.
See it in the wild: Red-eyed Dwarf-Iguanas are usually found in closed-canopy situations rather than in open or semi-open areas. These cryptic reptiles are easier to detect by sampling well-preserved forest trails at night with the aid of a flashlight. In this way, roosting individuals may be detected at a rate of 1–5 per week, particularly at Bilsa Biological Reserve and Milpe Bird Sanctuary.
Special thanks to Don Taylor for symbolically adopting the Red-eyed Dwarf-Iguana and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
Click here to adopt a species.
Author: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographer: Jose VieirabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Arteaga A (2023) Red-eyed Dwarf-Iguana (Enyalioides oshaughnessyi). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/EANX7035
Literature cited:
- Torres-Carvajal O, Etheridge R, de Queiroz K (2011) A systematic revision of Neotropical lizards in the clade Hoplocercinae (Squamata: Iguania). Zootaxa 2752: 1–44. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2752.1.1
- Torres-Carvajal O, Venegas PJ, de Queiroz K (2015) Three new species of woodlizards (Hoplocercinae, Enyalioides) from northwestern South America. ZooKeys 494: 107–132. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.494.8903
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Cisneros-Heredia DF, Velasco J, Bolívar W (2015) Enyalioides oshaughnessyi. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org
- MAE (2012) Línea base de deforestación del Ecuador continental. Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Quito, 30 pp.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Enyalioides oshaughnessyi in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | El Jardín de los Sueños | Pellet 2017 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bilsa Biological Reserve | Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bosque Protector La Perla | Photo by Plácido Palacios |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Barrio San Roque | Pazmiño Otamendi 2018 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Centro Científico Río Palenque | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | El Vergel | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Gavilanes | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Jauneche | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Boca de Palmito | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Bosque Seco Lalo Loor | Photo by Rhianna Banana |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Cerros de Ayampe | Photo by Matteo Resisto |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Chone | Photo by Jessica Markle |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Eloy Alfaro | Photo by Regdy Vera |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Hacienda San Jose | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Jama Coaque Reserve | Lynch et al. 2016 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Los Senderos de Tachila | Photo by Tina Swan |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Manglaralto, 11 km E of | Pazmiño Otamendi 2018 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Reserva Ayampe | MECN, JOCOTOCO, ECOMINGA 2013 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Río Coaque | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Finca Victoria | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hacienda La Hesperia | Brouwer 2018 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Kapari Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Maquipucuna Reserve | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mashpi Reserve | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Milpe Bird Sanctuary | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Monte Olivo | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Playa Rica | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Puerto Quito | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Reserva Un Poco de Chocó | Photo by Nicole Büttner |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Blanco | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Santa Lucía Cloud Forest Reserve | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Séptimo Paraíso Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Tandapi | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santa Elena | Comuna Loma Alta | Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009 |
| Ecuador | Santa Elena | Dos Mangas | Salvatierra et al. 2014 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Alluriquín, 7 km W of | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Filipinas | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Finca la Esperanza | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Finca Tinalandia | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Unión del Toachi | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Otongachi Reserve | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 1 km S of | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 5 km W of | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2011 |