NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Golden Spectacled Tegu
Gymnophthalmus speciosus (Hallowell, 1861)
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.
Golden spectacled tegu juvenile with red tail
Brian Gratwicke · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Gymnophthalmus speciosus, the golden spectacled tegu, is a microteiid lizard found in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. It is a small, cylindrical lizard with a long tail and a tendency to reduced extremeties.
Wikipedia contributors, Gymnophthalmus speciosus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:06:28.268478+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gymnophthalmus speciosus (Hallowell, 1861)
- Name authority
- (Hallowell, 1861)
- Common name
- Golden Spectacled Tegu
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Gymnophthalmidae
- Genus
- Gymnophthalmus
- 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
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyGymnophthalmidae
- genusGymnophthalmus
- speciesGymnophthalmus speciosus (Hallowell, 1861)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gymnophthalmus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White Spectacied TeguGymnophthalmus leucomystax Vanzolini & Carvalho, 1991 | GymnophthalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Smooth-scaled TeguletGymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 | GymnophthalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnophthalmus vanzoi Carvalho, 1999 | GymnophthalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnophthalmus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758) | GymnophthalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rough-scaled TeguletGymnophthalmus pleii Bocourt, 1881 | GymnophthalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Epaphelus sumichrasti Cope, 1875 Cope, 1875 | synonym |
| Blepharictisis speciosa Hallowell, 1861 Hallowell, 1861 | synonym |
| Gymnophthalmus speciosus sumichrasti Cope, 1875 Cope, 1875 | ambiguous synonym |
| Gymnophthalmus birdi Stuart, 1939 Stuart, 1939 | synonym |
| Tretioscincus laevicaudus Cope, 1869 Cope, 1869 | synonym |
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=Gymnophthalmus&species=speciosus 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.
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:3HT9L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.