Corytophanidae is a family of lizards also called casque head lizards or helmeted lizards.^[2] They typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of Basiliscus, but is present in both sexes of Corytophanes and Laemanctus (Pough et al. 2003). In Corytophanes, these crests are used in defensive displays where the lateral aspect of the body is brought about to face a potential predator in an effort to look bigger (Pough et al. 2003). There are 9 known species of casque heads from 3 genera.

Casque heads are moderately sized forest-dwelling lizards with laterally compressed bodies. They are found from Mexico, through Central America, and as far south as Ecuador. Unlike many of their close relatives, they are unable to break off their tails when captured, probably because the tail is essential as a counterbalance during rapid movement. Despite the small size of the group, it includes both egg-laying species and some that give birth to live young.^[2]

Genera and species

Family Corytophanidae

• Genus Basiliscus
  • common basilisk - Basiliscus basiliscus
  • Western or red-headed basilisk - Basiliscus galeritus
  • green or plumed basilisk - Basiliscus plumifrons
  • brown or striped basilisk - Basiliscus vittatus
• Genus Corytophanes
  • helmeted iguana - Corytophanes cristatus
  • Hernandez's helmeted basilisk - Corytophanes hernandezi
  • Guatemalan helmeted basilisk - Corytophanes percarinatus
• Genus Laemanctus
  • Eastern casquehead iguana - Laemanctus longipes
  • serrated casquehead iguana - Laemanctus serratus

References

Pough FH, Andrews RM, Cadle JE, Crump ML, Savitsky AH, Wells KD. 2003. Herpetology, 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. pp. 129.