''Abronia ochoterenai'', Ochoterena's arboreal alligator lizard or Northern Chiapas arboreal alligator lizard, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
arboreal alligator lizard in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Anguidae
Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. Common characteristics of this group include a reduced supratemporal arch, striations on the medial faces of tooth crowns, osteoderms, and a lateral fold ...
. The species, which is native to extreme southern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, was described in 1939 by
Rafael Martín del Campo.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''ochoterenai'', is in honor of Mexican biologist
Isaac Ochoterena Mendieta.
Geographic range
''A. ochoterenai'' is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the Mexican state of
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
, where it is found at elevations of .
Reproduction
''A. ochoterenai'' is viviparous
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Martín del Campo R (1939). "''Contribución al conocimiento de los gerrhonoti mexicanos, con la presentación de una nueva forma'' ". ''Anales del Instituto de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de México'' 10: 853–861. (''Gerrhonotus vasconcelosii ochoterenai'', new subspecies). (in Spanish).
Abronia
Reptiles described in 1939
Endemic reptiles of Mexico
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