''Anadia ocellata'', commonly known as the ocellated anadia or ocellated bromeliad 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
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 ...
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
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
.
Description
''A. ocellata'' is a small and slender lizard. Its body is cylindrical with a long tail that is very sensitive and quickly subject to
autotomy
Autotomy (from the Greek language, Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", wikt:αὐτοτομία, αὐτοτομία) or self-amputation, is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usual ...
when in danger or when manipulated inadequately.
Geographic range
''A. ocellata'' is distributed from
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
to
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
.
Habitat and behavior
''A. ocellata'' is rather unusual for a lizard in that it has frequently been found in, or close to,
bromeliads. Thus its habits are considered arboreal, which would account for its scarceness.
["''Anadia ocellata'' ".](_blank)
Atta, INBio , Biodiversity of Costa Rica.
References
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA. 1885. ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. ... Teiidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (''Anadia ocellata'', pp. 398–399, description of
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
; and ''A. metallica'', p. 400).
*
Gray JE. 1845. ''Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Edward Newman, printer). xxviii + 289 pp. (''Anadia ocellata'', new species, p. 58).
Anadia (genus)
Reptiles of Colombia
Reptiles of Costa Rica
Reptiles of Ecuador
Reptiles of Panama
Reptiles described in 1845
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
{{Gymnophthalmidae-stub