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Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus
The emerald swift or green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus) is a species of small lizard in the Phrynosomatinae subfamily, native to Central America.
From the article Sceloporus malachiticus on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Emerald swifts are distinctly bright green in color, with males typically being more striking than females, having bright blue patches on either side of the belly. They grow from 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) in length. Like other species in the genus Sceloporus, their scales tend to be fairly stiff and heavily keeled, giving them a spiny texture.
Range & habitat
The emerald swift is found from Mexico's Yucatan region, to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Wikipedia: “Geographic distribution”
What it does
Emerald swifts are diurnal, arboreal lizards. In the early morning, they forage for insects, and then spend much of the day basking in the sun. They will retreat to a burrow, or under a rock or log if the temperature becomes too high or to sleep. Their life spans are believed to be between three and five years. Unlike most iguanid lizards, emerald swifts are ovoviviparous, giving birth to six to fifteen young yearly.
Wikipedia: “Behavior”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Sceloporus malachiticus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 124165.