Tetradactylus ellenbergeri
Tetradactylus ellenbergeri | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Gerrhosauridae |
Genus: | Tetradactylus |
Species: | T. ellenbergeri |
Binomial name | |
Tetradactylus ellenbergeri (Angel, 1922) | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, commonly known as Ellen's whip lizard and Ellenberger's long-tailed seps, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae. The species is indigenous to Africa.
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, ellenbergeri, is in honor of Victor Ellenberger (1879–1972), who was an African-born Swiss missionary and naturalist.[3]
Geographic range
[edit]T. ellenbergeri is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.[2]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitats of T. ellenbergeri are savanna and grassland.[1]
Description
[edit]T. ellenbergeri is a snake-like lizard. Its front legs are absent, and its back legs are reduced to minute spikes about 2 mm long. The tail is extremely long, more than three times the snout-to-vent length (SVL).[2]
Behavior
[edit]T. ellenbergeri is terrestrial and diurnal.[1]
Diet
[edit]T. ellenbergeri preys upon insects and other invertebrates.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]T. ellenbergeri is oviparous.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Bates, M.F (2018). "Tetradactylus ellenbergeri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T44929247A44929340. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Species Tetradactylus ellenbergeri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ 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. (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, p. 82).
Further reading
[edit]- Angel F (1922). "Sur un Lézard d'un genre nouveau de la famille des Gerrhosauridæ". Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 28: 150–152. (Paratetradactylus ellenbergeri, new species). (in French).
- 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. (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, pp. 181–182).
- Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, p. 218).