Pedioplanis gaerdesi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Pedioplanis
Species:
P. gaerdesi
Binomial name
Pedioplanis gaerdesi
(Mertens, 1954)
Synonyms[2]
  • Eremias undata gaerdesi
    Mertens, 1954
  • Mesalina undata gaerdesi
    — Szczerbak, 1989
  • Pedioplanis undata gaerdesi
    — Mayer, 1989
  • Pedioplanis gaerdesi
    — Bauer, Branch & Haacke, 1993

Pedioplanis gaerdesi, known commonly as the Kaokoland sand lizard, the Kaokoveld sand lizard, and Mayer's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Etymology

The specific name, gaerdesi, is in honor of German zoologist Jan Gaerdes (1889–1981), who lived in Namibia for many years.[3]

Geographic range

P. gaerdesi is found in northwestern Namibia.[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. gaerdesi is gravelly or sandy desert or savanna, at altitudes of 200–1,400 m (660–4,590 ft).[1]

Description

Adults of P. gaerdesi have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in). The tail is very long, almost three times SVL. Dorsally, P. gaerdesi is golden brown. Ventrally, it is cream-colored. The flanks are spotted with yellow. The transparent "window" of the lower eyelid, which consist of one large scale, is ringed with black.[4]

Reproduction

P. gaerdesi is oviparous.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Turner AA (2010). "Pedioplanis gaerdesi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T178213A7499023. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178213A7499023.en. Downloaded on 16 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Pedioplanis gaerdesi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 16 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pedioplanis gaerdesi, p. 96).
  4. ↑ Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Pedioplanis gaerdesi, p. 174 + Plate 103).

Further reading

  • Bauer AM, Branch WR, Haacke WD (1993). "The herpetofauna of the Kamanjab area and adjacent Damaraland, Namibia". Madoqua, Windhoek 18 (2): 117–145. (Pedioplanis gaerdesi, new taxonomic status).
  • Conradie W, Measey GJ, Branch WR, Tolley KA (2012). "Revised phylogeny of African sand lizards (Pedioplanis), with the description of two new species from south-western Angola". African Journal of Herpetology 61 (2): 91–112.
  • Herrmann H-W, Branch WR (2013). "Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist". Journal of Arid Environments 93: 94–115.
  • Mertens R (1954). "Neue Eidechsen aus Südwest-Afrika". Senckenbergiana 34: 175–183. (Eremias undata gaerdesi, new subspecies, p. 176). (in German).



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