|
Oplurus
''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: '' Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and '' Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct dorsal crest. Species The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed arboreal clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguanid (''Oplurus cuvieri'') *Saxicolous (rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana ('' Oplurus fierinensis'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus quadrimacul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Comorensis
''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: ''Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and ''Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct dorsal crest. Species The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed arboreal clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguanid (''Oplurus cuvieri'') * Saxicolous (rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana ('' Oplurus fierinensis'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus quadrimacul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus
''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: '' Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and '' Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct dorsal crest. Species The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed arboreal clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguanid (''Oplurus cuvieri'') *Saxicolous (rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana ('' Oplurus fierinensis'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift ('' Oplurus quadrimacul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Cuvieri
''Oplurus cuvieri'', commonly known as the collared iguana, the collared iguanid lizard, Cuvier's Madagascar skink, Cuvier's Madagascar swift, and the Madagascan collared iguana, is a species of arboreal lizard in the family Opluridae. The species is native to Madagascar and Comoros. There are two recognized subspecies. ''O. cuvieri'' is the largest of six species in the genus ''Oplurus''. Etymology The specific name, ''cuvieri'', is in honor of French naturalist Georges Cuvier. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Oplurus cuvieri'', p. 63). Description As some of the common names suggest, ''O. cuvieri'' has a distinctive black collar that stands out against the body which is speckled with lighter spots. It has a large head, and the relatively short tail has spiny scales. The female is a duller brown colour. The images below show considerable variation i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Cyclurus
''Oplurus cyclurus'', also known commonly as the Madagascar swift and Merrem's Madagascar swift, is a species of lizard in the family Opluridae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. It is arboreal and has a mostly insectivorous diet. Its breeding is timed with the rainy season. Description ''Oplurus cyclurus'' is similar in appearance to ''Oplurus cuvieri''; so the two species may be easily confused. ''Oplurus cyclurus'' is slightly smaller than ''Oplurus cuvieri'', both of which have a distinctive large spiny tail. Neither species has a dorsal crest. ''Oplurus cyclurus'' has a dark brown or black band around the neck and similar paler markings on its back. Behavior, habitat, and geographic range ''O. cyclurus'' is mostly arboreal, living in the spiny forests of southern and southwestern Madagascar. Reproduction ''O. cyclurus'' is oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Quadrimaculatus
''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'', the Duméril's Madagascar Swift or Madagascar spotted spiny-tailed iguana, is a terrestrial malagasy iguana belonging to the family Opluridae. Description ''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'' can reach a length of . This iguana is greyish, with a spotted back and tail and legs covered with enlarged, spinous scales. It spends hours basking in sunlight. It is mainly insectivorous. Mating lasts just a few seconds and the eggs are laid in sheltered areas. Distribution This species is endemic to Madagascar. It can be found from the central areas up to the south of the country, at an elevation up to above sea level. Habitat ''Madagascar spotted spiny-tailed iguana'' lives on loamy slopes, clay expanses and large rocks in various environment, from the arid regions in dry spiny forests to northern wetlands and humid areas close to the rainforest and in shrubland. Gallery Oplurus quadrimaculatus.jpeg, Isalo Duméril's Madagascar swift (Oplurus quadrimaculatus) he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Grandidieri
Grandidier's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus grandidieri'') is a species of saxicolous (rock dwelling) lizard in the family Opluridae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. Etymology The specific name ''grandidieri'', is in honor of French naturalist Alfred Grandidier.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Oplurus grandidieri'', p. 105). Description Grandidier's Madagascar swift has a distinctive light mid-dorsal band. Geographic range On the island of Madagascar ''O. grandidieri'' has been found in a number of localities in the southern central highlands. Reproduction ''O. grandidieri'' is oviparous. References Further reading * Glaw F, Vences M (1994). ''A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition''. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag / Serpents Tale. 480 pp. . * Mocquard F (1900). "''Nouvelle contribution à la faune herpé ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Fierinensis
''Oplurus fierinensis'', also known as the Anzamala Madagascar swift or Madagascar blue iguana, is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana endemic to Madagascar. Description As the name suggests, the Madagascar blue iguana is blue, although can be different shades of blue or grey, depending upon the lighting. The ventral side is plain gray. The coloration provided good camouflage while living among the blue-grey rocks. It can reach a total length of 28 cm. Distribution This species is endemic to Madagascar and has been found in the region of Toliara in southwest Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa .... References Oplurus Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1869 Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier {{Iguani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Saxicola
''Oplurus saxicola'' (marked Madagascar swift) is a wiktionary:saxicolous, saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana. The name of this species, saxicola, comes from the Latin saxum, meaning stone or rock, as they live within that environment. Description Extremely depressed reddish-green body, with marked spots. White abdomen. Large throat. Eyes very large, of triangular form. The scales of the forefeet are webbed; the thighs of rear legs are muscular. Scales on the neck are of similar dimensions to those on the back. Distribution The marked Madagascar swift is endemic to the province of Toliara in south-west Madagascar. References Oplurus Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1869 {{Lizard-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguania
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most Iguanias are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. The group has a fossil record that extends back to the Early Jurassic (the oldest known member is '' B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georges Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in natural sciences research in the early 19th century and was instrumental in establishing the fields of comparative anatomy and paleontology through his work in comparing living animals with fossils. Cuvier's work is considered the foundation of vertebrate paleontology, and he expanded Linnaean taxonomy by grouping classes into phylum, phyla and incorporating both fossils and living species into the classification. Cuvier is also known for establishing extinction as a fact—at the time, extinction was considered by many of Cuvier's contemporaries to be merely controversial speculation. In his ''Essay on the Theory of the Earth'' (1813) Cuvier proposed that now-extinct species had been wiped out by periodic catastrophi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Grandidier
Alfred Grandidier (20 December 1836 – 13 September 1921) was a French naturalist and explorer. From a very wealthy family, at the age of 20, he and his brother, Ernest Grandidier (1833–1912), undertook a voyage around the world. At first they were led by the astronomer and physicist Pierre Jules César Janssen (1824–1907), but when Janssen fell sick and had to return to France after about six months, the brothers continued the journey. They visited South America in 1858 and 1859 and in particular the Andes, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. During this voyage they gathered a significant collection of specimens which were analyzed, in 1860, by Ernest. The two brothers parted ways after this. Ernest Grandidier went to China and collected a vast number of specimens which are now in the Louvre and the Guimet museum. Alfred travelled to India, reaching it in 1863. He had intended to explore the high plateau of Tibet, but was prevented by a severe attack of fever. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aldabra
Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 km (700 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria on Mahé Island. History The name Aldabra, originally Al-Hadra or Al-Khadra (with several variants), was given by Arab seafarers for "the atoll’s harsh, sun-baked environment"; this name was included in the Portuguese maps of the 16th century. The islands were already known to the Persians and Arabs, from whom they got their name. They had named the Indian Ocean as Bahr-el zanj. It was visited by Portuguese navigators in 1511. In the middle of the 18th century, the atoll became a dependency of the French colony of Réunion, from where expeditions were made for the capture of the Aldabra giant tortoises. As there are no surface freshwater sources on Aldabra, the interests of the explor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
