''Arthrosaura versteegii'' 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 ...
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 ...
Gymnophthalmidae.
The species is indigenous to northeastern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''versteegii'', is in honor of
Gerard Martinus Versteeg (1876–1943), who was a Dutch physician and explorer.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Arthrosaura versteegii'', p. 274).]
Geographic range
''A. versteegii'' is found in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(
Amazonas),
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
,
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred 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. versteegii'' are forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
, at altitudes of .
Reproduction
''A. versteegii'' 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 ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Ávila-Pires TCS, Hoogmoed MS, Silva MB (2018). "First records in Brazil for ''Arthrosaura versteegii'' van Lidth de Jeude, 1904 (Reptilia, Gymnophthalmidae), a possible species complex, and distribution extension for ''Arthrosaura montigena'' Myers
Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh").
People
*Abram F. Myers (born 1889), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and board chai ...
& Donnelly
Donnelly is a surname of Irish origin. It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic ''Ó Donnghaile'' meaning ‘descendant of Donnghal’ a given name composed of the elements "donn" (dark or brown), plus "gal" (valour). O'Donnelly is derived from ...
, 2008, in Venezuela". ''Check List'' 14 (4): 569–577.
*Hoogmoed MS, Ávila-Pires TCS (1992). "Studies on the species of the South American lizard genus ''Arthrosaura'' Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer
* Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo
* George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...
(Reptilia: Sauria: Teiidae), with the resurrection of two species 'A. versteegii'', ''Pantodactylus tyleri'' . ''Zoologische Mededelingen'' 66: 453–484.
* Lidth de Jeude TW (1904). "Reptiles and Batrachians from Surinam". ''Notes from the Leyden Museum'' 25: 83–94 + Plate 7. (''Arthrosaura versteegii'', new species, pp. 89–91 + Plate 7, figures 5–6).
Arthrosaura
Reptiles described in 1904
Taxa named by Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude
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