Atlas dwarf lizard
| Atlas dwarf lizard | |
|---|---|
| File:Atlantolacerta andreanskyi.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Error creating thumbnail: | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Genus: | Atlantolacerta Arnold, Arribas & Carranza, 2007 |
| Species: | A. andreanskyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Atlantolacerta andreanskyi (F. Werner, 1929)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
The Atlas dwarf lizard (Atlantolacerta andreanskyi), commonly known as Andreansky's lizard, is the only species in the genus Atlantolacerta, in the wall lizard family, Lacertidae. The species is indigenous to north-western Africa.[2]
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The specific name, andreanskyi, is in honor of Hungarian botanist Gábor Andreánszky.[3]
Geographic range
[edit | edit source]A. andreanskyi is endemic to Morocco, where it is restricted to the High Atlas mountain range, at 2,400 to 2,800 m (7,900 to 9,200 ft) above sea level.[2]
Ecology
[edit | edit source]Although A. andreanskyi is generally considered to be rare, animals are often well hidden in vegetation and may occur at higher densities than was first assumed. They can be very common in favourable conditions and are found in alpine meadows, scree, amongst boulders, and in areas of thorn cushion vegetation and thickets. They have long hibernation periods.[1]
Reproduction
[edit | edit source]The females of A. andreanskyi lay three clutches of between one and three eggs per year.[1]
Conservation status
[edit | edit source]A. andreanskyi does not appear to be threatened, but it does occur in readily accessible areas, most especially by hikers.[1]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c "Atlantolacerta andreanskyi ". The Reptile Database.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. (Atlantolacerta andreanskyi, p. 9).
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Arnold EN, Arribas O, Carranza S (2007). "Systematics of the Palaearctic and Oriental lizard tribe Lacertini (Squamata: Lacertidae: Lacertinae), with descriptions of eight new genera". Zootaxa 1430: 1-86. (Atlantolacerta, new genus, p. 63).
- Barata M, Perera A, Harris DJ (2015). "Cryptic variation in the Moroccan high altitude lizard Atlantolacerta andreanskyi (Squamata: Lacertidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 64 (1): 1–17.
- Mayer W, Bischoff W (1996). "Beiträge zur taxonomischen Revision der Gattung Lacerta (Reptilia: Lacertidae) Teil 1: Zootoca, Omanosaura, Timon und Teira als eigenständige Gattungen ". Salamandra 32 (3): 163–170. (Teira andreanskyi, new combination, p. 169). (in German)
- Werner F (1929). "Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer zoologischen Forschungreise nach Westalgerien und Marokko ". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 138: 1-34. (Lacerta andreanskyi, new species, pp. 4–5). (in German).
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