Acanthodactylus
| 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).
Geographic range
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
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.
Description
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.
Behavior
Every saurian of this genus is very aggressive and gets continuously involved in skirmishes with other members of its species. The males strenuously defend the borders of their territories.
Reproduction
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).
Classification
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
- ↑ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- 1 2 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
- 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).
External links
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