NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Galapagos Lava Lizard
Microlophus albemarlensis (Baur, 1890)
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
Microlophus albemarlensis, the Galápagos lava lizard, also known as the Albemarle lava lizard or Isabela lava lizard, is a species of lava lizard. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands.
The species was described as occurring on several islands in the western archipelago: the large islands Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Santiago and Santa Fe, as well as several smaller islands: Seymour, Baltra, Plaza Sur, Daphne Major and Rábida. If true, this makes it the most widespread of the Galápagos species of Microlophus, the others only occurring on single islands. Some authors however, consider populations on Santiago, Santa Cruz, and Santa Fe (and associated small islands) to be distinct species (M. jacobii, M. indefatigabilis and M. barringtonensis, respectively).
Wikipedia contributors, Microlophus albemarlensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:32:42.219521+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microlophus albemarlensis (Baur, 1890)
- Name authority
- (Baur, 1890)
- Common name
- Galapagos Lava Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Tropiduridae
- Genus
- Microlophus
- 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
- familyTropiduridae
- genusMicrolophus
- speciesMicrolophus albemarlensis (Baur, 1890)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microlophus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Microlophus duncanensis (Baur, 1890) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Floreana Lava LizardMicrolophus grayii (Bell, 1843) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microlophus koepckeorum (Mertens, 1956) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Knobbed Pacific IguanaMicrolophus occipitalis (Peters, 1871) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Four-banded Pacific IguanaMicrolophus quadrivittatus (Tschudi, 1845) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Theresia's Pacific IguanaMicrolophus theresiae (Steindachner, 1901) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tschudi's Pacific IguanaMicrolophus thoracicus (Tschudi, 1845) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tiger Pacific IguanaMicrolophus tigris (Tschudi, 1845) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galapagos Lava LizardMicrolophus barringtonensis (Baur, 1892) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galapagos Lava LizardMicrolophus indefatigabilis (Baur, 1890) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Santiago Lava LizardMicrolophus jacobii (Baur, 1892) | TropiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microlophus arenarius (Tschudi, 1845) | TropiduridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Tropidurus grayii magnus Heller, 1901 Heller, 1901 | synonym |
| Tropidurus albemarlensis Baur, 1890 Baur, 1890 | 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=Microlophus&species=albemarlensis 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:42YGQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.