Peruvian biologists discovered the new reptilian species along the basin of the Ica River.
Scientists from Peru’s San Marcos University’s Museum of Natural History (MHN) presented a scholarly article outlining the discovery of a new species in the genus of South American lizards called Stenocercus (commonly known as whorltail iguanas). Named Stenocercus Ica, the species is six to eight centimeters in length with distinctive features (including missing a neck fold) that differentiate it from its closest relative the Stenocercus modestus.
In the paper, the biologists also suggest that the species be classified as endangered due to its “area of occupancy and threat-defined locations.”
Source: Andina
Cover photo: Museo de Historia Natural UNMSM
