Acanthodactylus | |
---|---|
Acanthodactylus scutellatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Lacertidae |
Genus: | Acanthodactylus Wiegmann, 1834[1] |
Species | |
ca. 40. See text. |
Acanthodactylus is a genus of lacertid lizards, commonly referred to as fringe-fingered lizards or fringe-toed lizards (though the latter common name is also used for the New World lizard genus Uma).
Contents
Geographic range[edit]
The approximately 40 species are native to a wide area in North Africa, southern Europe and Western Asia; across the Sahara Desert, to the Iberian Peninsula, and east through the Arabian Peninsula, to Afghanistan and western India.[2]
Habitat[edit]
Though lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus prefer dry and sparsely vegetated regions, they are not strictly tied to an arid terrain; so it is not uncommon to come across them in various environments.[citation needed]
Description[edit]
Members of the genus possess the following combination of traits:[2]
- Lacking occipital scales.
- Flat ventral scales.
- Fingers with three or four series of scales.
- Toes with comb-like projections.
- Femoral pores present.
- Parietal foramen present.
The coloration and pattern of spots of Acanthodactylus is extremely variable, so it is unsurprising that zoologists have, at one time or another, classified every variety as a separate species.[citation needed]
Behavior[edit]
Every saurian of this genus is very aggressive and gets continuously involved in skirmishes with other members of its species.[citation needed] The males strenuously defend the borders of their territories.[citation needed]
Reproduction[edit]
Acanthodactylus are oviparous. The number of eggs in a clutch ranges from 3 to 7. The total length of a sexually mature adult of the genus is, on average, 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in).[citation needed]
Classification[edit]
Genus Acanthodactylus[3]
- Acanthodactylus aegyptius S. Baha El Din, 2007
- Acanthodactylus ahmaddisii Y. Werner, 2004 (Endangered)
- Acanthodactylus arabicus Boulenger, 1918
- Acanthodactylus aureus Günther, 1903
- Acanthodactylus bedriagai Lataste, 1881 -- Bedriaga's fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus beershebensis Moravec et al., 1999 -- Be'er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard (Critically endangered)
- Acanthodactylus blanci Doumergue, 1901 -- Blanc's fringe-toed lizard
- Acanthodactylus blanfordii Boulenger, 1918 -- Blanford's fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus boskianus (Daudin, 1802) -- Bosc's fringe-toed lizard
- Acanthodactylus boueti Chabanaud, 1917
- Acanthodactylus busacki Salvador, 1982
- Acanthodactylus cantoris Günther, 1864 -- Indian fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus dumerilii (Milne-Edwards, 1829)
- Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Schinz, 1833) -- spiny-footed lizard
- Acanthodactylus felicis Arnold, 1980
- Acanthodactylus gongrorhynchatus Leviton & S.C. Anderson, 1967
- Acanthodactylus grandis Boulenger, 1909
- Acanthodactylus guineensis (Boulenger, 1887)
- Acanthodactylus haasi Leviton & S.C. Anderson, 1967
- Acanthodactylus hardyi Haas, 1957
- Acanthodactylus harranensis Baran et al., 2005 (Critically endangered)
- Acanthodactylus khamirensis Heidari et al., 2013
- Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839 -- coastal common fringe-toed lizard
- Acanthodactylus longipes Boulenger, 1918
- Acanthodactylus maculatus (Gray, 1838) -- spotted fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus masirae Arnold, 1980
- Acanthodactylus mechriguensis Nouira & C.P. Blanc, 1999 (Critically endangered)
- Acanthodactylus micropholis Blanford, 1874
- Acanthodactylus nilsoni Rastegar-Pouyani, 1998
- Acanthodactylus opheodurus Arnold, 1980
- Acanthodactylus orientalis Angel, 1936
- Acanthodactylus pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823) -- leopard fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus robustus F. Werner, 1929
- Acanthodactylus savignyi (Audouin, 1809) -- Savigny's fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus schmidti Haas, 1957
- Acanthodactylus schreiberi Boulenger, 1878 -- Schreiber's fringe-fingered lizard
- Acanthodactylus scutellatus (Audouin, 1827)
- Acanthodactylus senegalensis Chabanaud, 1918
- Acanthodactylus spinicauda Doumergue, 1901 -- Doumergue's fringe-fingered lizard (Critically endangered)
- Acanthodactylus taghitensis Geniez & Foucart, 1995
- Acanthodactylus tilburyi Arnold, 1986
- Acanthodactylus tristrami (Günther, 1864)
- Acanthodactylus yemenicus Salvador, 1982
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Acanthodactylus.
References[edit]
- ^ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b Salvador A. 1982. A revision of the lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus (Sauria: Lacertidae). Bonn. Zool. Monogr. (16): 1–167.
- ^ "Acanthodactylus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
Further reading[edit]
- Boulenger GA. 1887. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Genus Acanthodactylus, p. 58).
- Wiegmann AFA. 1834. Herpetologica Mexicana, ... Pars Prima, Saurorum Species, ... Berlin: C.G. Lüderitz. vi + 54 pp. + Plates I-X. (Acanthodactylus, p. 10).