Gone but not forgotten, the Chilean Dwarf Tegu

During breeding or territorial disputes the throat of the male blushes to a brighter orange. No, this attractive lizardis not extinct. But it has been about 35 years since this species has made an appearance in the American pet trade. But I still get inquiries regarding the lizard even though many of the askers are not old enough to have ever seen it. As indicated by its common name, this 15 to 18-inch long (including the lengthy tail) is endemic to the lowlands of the Chilean Pacific coastal regions. Of the family Teiidae, Callopistes maculatus is apparently of ancient lineage and is considered a forerunner of the tegus and other teiids. Dorsally it is multicolored, being bedecked in 4 rows of white-edged black spots on a brown back. Laterally there is a row of more poorly defined black-edged white spots. The gular region of males is orange and is brightest during courtship and aggressive interludes. Food items include insects, other arthropods, small mammals such as nestling mice and rats, and carrion. This is an oviparous species but little seems known about the breeding and hatching sequences. And now to the pix of this pretty lizard.

This is a female Chilean Dwarf Tegu.

A portrait of a male Chilean Dwarf Tegu.