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The Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) or beaded lizard is a species of lizard in the family Helodermatidae, one of the two species of venomous beaded lizards found principally in Mexico and southern Guatemala.
Mexican beaded lizard skeleton (Museum of Osteology) The type species is Heloderma horridum , which was first described in 1829 by Arend Wiegmann . Although he originally assigned it the generic name Trachyderma , he changed it to Heloderma six months later, which means "studded skin", from the Ancient Greek words hêlos (ηλος)—the head ...
The Helodermatidae or beaded lizards are a small family of lizards endemic to North America today, mainly found in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, the central lowlands of Chiapas, on the border of Guatemala, and in the Nentón River Valley, [1] though they were formerly more widespread in the ancient past.
It is a heavy, slow-moving reptile, up to 56 centimetres (22 in) long, and it is the only venomous lizard native to the United States. Its venomous close relatives, the four beaded lizards (all former subspecies of Heloderma horridum) inhabit Mexico and Guatemala.
Helothermine (or HLTx) is a toxin from the venom of the Mexican beaded lizard Heloderma horridum horridum. Helothermine inhibits ryanodine receptors, calcium channels and potassium channels. Helothermine can cause lethargy, partial paralysis of rear limbs and lowering of the body temperature.
The Rio Fuerte beaded lizard (Heloderma exasperatum) is a venomous species of beaded lizard in the family Helodermatidae. It is found in the tropical forests and shrublands of western Mexico, specifically around the Rio Fuerte and Rio Mayo basins. It is often found in or near abandoned mammal burrows and sources of water. [4] [5]
Greatly exceeding it in size are the Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Rio Fuerte beaded lizard (Heloderma exasperatum), with a total length of up to 91 cm (36 in), [10] [88] a SVL of up to 47 cm (18.5 in) [10] and a mass from 2 kg (4.4 lb) [10] to 4 kg (8.8 lb) [89] [90] [88] depending on the source.
The species found in Guatemala is the beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum), which occurs in two subspecies, including the Motagua Valley subspecies (H. h. charlesborgeti), one of the rarest lizards in the world, with a wild population of fewer than 200 animals. Beaded lizard – Heloderma horridum (Wiegmann, 1829)