''Acanthodactylus maculatus'', known commonly as the spotted fringe-fingered lizard and the spotted fringe-toed 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 ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

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 ...

Lacertidae The Lacertidae are the family (biology), family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at least 300 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group o ...

. The species 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 north-western Africa.

Geographic range

''A. maculatus'' is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Habitat

The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''A. maculatus'' are subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, hot

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s, and sandy shores.

Reproduction

''A. maculatus'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

Conservation status

The species ''A. maculatus'' is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

References

1 (4): 274–283. (''Scapteira maculata'', new species, p. 281). * Salvador A (1982). "A revision of the lizards of the genus ''Acanthodactylus'' (Sauria: Lacertidae)". ''Bonner Zoologische Monographien'' (16): 1–167. (''Acanthodactylus maculatus'', pp. 92–97, Figures 50–52, Map 19). (in English, with an abstract in German). maculatus Lacertid lizards of Africa Reptiles of North Africa Fauna of Libya Reptiles described in 1838 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{lacertidae-stub

Geographic range

Habitat

Reproduction

Conservation status

References

Further reading