Brachylophus bulabula Information & Brachylophus bulabula Links at HealthHaven.com

Fiji Iguana
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Chordata;
Class:	Sauropsida;
Order:	Squamata;
Suborder:	Iguania;
Family:	Iguanidae;
Genus:	Brachylophus;
Species:	B. bulabula;
Binomial name
	Brachylophus bulabula; Keogh, Edwards, Fisher, and Harlow, 2008

Brachylophus bulabula is a species of lizard endemic to the islands of Fiji and Tonga discovered in the central regions of Fiji by a team led by a scientist from the Australian National University in 2008. It is one of the few species of iguanas found outside of the New World and one of the most geographically isolated members of the family Iguanidae.^[1] These iguanas are believed to have evolved from green iguanas that rafted on debris across 7,000 miles of Pacific Ocean from South America some 13 million years ago.^[2]

[edit] Taxonomy and etymology

The generic name, Brachylophus, is derived from two Greek words: brachys (βραχῦς) meaning "short" and lophos (λοφος) meaning "crest" or "plume", denoting the short spiny crests along the back of this species. The specific name, bulabula, is a doubling of the Fiji word for "hello": bula.

The species is closely related to the Fiji banded iguana and the Fiji crested iguana; all three species are believed to have evolved from iguanas that rafted to Fiji 13 million years ago from South America.^[3]^[4] This species was described after a mitochondrial DNA analysis of 61 iguanas from 13 islands showed that B. bulabula was genetically and physically different from the two other species.

[edit] References

^ Kinkaid, John (1997). "Iguanas of the South Pacific". Reptiles 5 (8): 54-57.
^ Cogger, Harold (1974). "Voyage of the Banded Iguana". Australia Natural History 18 (4): 144-149.
^ Alberts, A.C.; Carter, R.L.; Hayes, W.K. & Martins, E.P. (eds.) (2004). Iguanas - Biology and Conservation. University of California Press, 356 pp.
^ "Hello hello: New iguana species found in Fiji". Fiji: Associated Press. 2008. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceenvironmentspeciesiguana. Retrieved 2008-10-06.

[Kinkaid1-0] Kinkaid, John (1997). "Iguanas of the South Pacific". Reptiles 5 (8): 54-57.

[Cogger-1] Cogger, Harold (1974). "Voyage of the Banded Iguana". Australia Natural History 18 (4): 144-149.

[Alberts-2] Alberts, A.C.; Carter, R.L.; Hayes, W.K. & Martins, E.P. (eds.) (2004). Iguanas - Biology and Conservation. University of California Press, 356 pp.

[Hello-3] "Hello hello: New iguana species found in Fiji". Fiji: Associated Press. 2008. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceenvironmentspeciesiguana. Retrieved 2008-10-06.

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