Corytophanes is a genus of Neotropical lizards, commonly called helmeted iguanas or basilisks, in the family Corytophanidae. The genus contains three arboreal species and resides in tropical forests.Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . ("Corythophanes [sic]", p. 291).
Species These species are recognized as being valid: www.reptile-database.org. Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Corytophanes cristatushelmeted iguana Chiapas in southern Mexico to north-western Colombia Corytophanes hernandesii Wilson LD, McCranie JR (2002). "Update on the list of reptiles known from Honduras". Herpetological Review 33 (2): 90-94. Hernandez's helmeted basilisk Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Corytophanes percarinatusGuatemalan helmeted basilisk El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Mexico (Chiapas).
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Corytophanes.
Etymology The specific name, hernandesii, is in honor of Spanish naturalist Francisco Hernández (1514-1587).Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Corytophanes hernandesii, p. 122).
References
Further reading Schlegel H (1826). "Herpetologische Nachrichten ". Isis von Oken 20 (3): 281-294. (Corytophanes, new genus, p. 290). (in German),