Vol. 21 No. 1 (2026)
Articles

First report of caudal display in the longtail whiptail Aurivela longicauda (Squamata: Teiidae)

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  • Gastón E. Lo Coco,
  • Federico L. Agnolín
Gastón E. Lo Coco
Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Federico L. Agnolín
Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17819

Published 2026-02-09

Keywords

  • Tail-wagging,
  • Teiidae,
  • Patagonia,
  • Argentina,
  • caudal behavior

How to Cite

Lo Coco, G. E., & Agnolín, F. L. (2026). First report of caudal display in the longtail whiptail Aurivela longicauda (Squamata: Teiidae). Acta Herpetologica, 21(1), 139–142. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17819

Copyright (c) 2026 Gastón E. Lo Coco, Federico L. Agnolín

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Squamate tail movements has multiple functions, including intraspecific communication, defense, autotomy, aggression, and feeding. Here we report for the first time the occurrence of unusual caudal behavior in Longtail Whiptail (Aurivela longicauda, Teiidae), an endemic lizard distributed in the Monte Desert region in Patagonia, Argentina. The observed specimen was buried underground, with only the reddish part of the tail was sticking out of the sand. The tail was extended and subvertically oriented, and the individual was wagging and curling the tail laterally, doing a slow tail wag with intermittent “flailing”, resembling the movement that earthworms do out of the ground. Knowing that the Aurivela species are almost exclusively insectivores, with a particular predilection for gregarious insects (e.g., termites and ants), it is not improbable that tail having worm-like coloration and movement may act as a lure to attract prey for consumption.

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