Mexican beaded lizard debate among scientists. However, this venom has been found to contain several enzymes useful for manufacturing drugs in the treatment of diabetes, and research on the pharmacological use of its venom is ongoing. Threatened throughout its range by overcollection and habitat loss, it is a CITES protected species. The Guatemalan beaded lizard ("H. charlesbogerti" ) is one of the rarest lizards in the world, with a wild population of fewer than 200. The beaded lizards have one close living relative, the Gila monster ("H. suspectum"), as well as many extinct relatives in the Helodermatidae, whose genetic history may be traced
Mexican beaded lizard three species overlap, making them sympatric. The Guatemalan beaded lizard ("H. charlesbogerti") is the only allopatric one, separated from the nearest population ("H. alvarezi") by 250 km of unsuitable habitat. The Guatemalan beaded lizard is the most endangered of the species, if not of all lizards; it is found only in the dry valley of the Río Motagua in northeastern Guatemala; less than 200 are believed to exist in the wild. The beaded lizard is a specialized vertebrate nest predator, feeding primarily on bird and reptile eggs. A semi-arboreal species, it is found climbing deciduous trees in search of prey