NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ctenoblepharys adspersa Tschudi, 1845
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenoblepharys adspersa is a liolaemid lizard within the monotypic genus Ctenoblepharys. It is endemic to the arid western coast of Peru. It is locally known as cabezona. The species is secretive and arenicolous, meaning that it inhabits sandy areas. It is primarily found along coastal sand dunes and beaches, but also hyper-arid habitats, ephemeral streambeds, and Tillandsia groves further inland, as far as the Andean foothills. Much of its biology and ecology is unknown, though it is known to be oviparous (egg-laying) and excavates burrows up to a meter in length. It feeds on a wide variety of insects, the most common being hymenopterans (wasps, ants, etc.), followed by coleopterans (beetles) and insect larvae. Activity levels are greatest in the morning (9–11 AM) and in the afternoon (3–4 PM). Compared to other liolaemids, it has a fairly broad head and large eyes, along with numerous unique skeletal features. Scales are generally small and granular, rather than overlapping. Elongated ciliary scales above the eyes are responsible for its genus name, which is Greek for "eyelash comb".
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenoblepharys adspersa; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:22:25.063655+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenoblepharys adspersa Tschudi, 1845
- Name authority
- Tschudi, 1845
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Liolaemidae
- Genus
- Ctenoblepharys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyLiolaemidae
- genusCtenoblepharys
- speciesCtenoblepharys adspersa Tschudi, 1845
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Ctenoblepharys&species=adspersa Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3256B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.