The North West Cape delma (''Delma tealei''), also known
commonly as Teale's delma, 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 ...
Pygopodidae
Pygopodidae, commonly known as legless lizard, legless lizards, snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, is a Family (biology), family of squamates with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. At least 35 species are placed in two subfami ...
. 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
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''tealei'', is in honor of Australian zoologist
Roy Teale
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
.
Geographic range
''D. tealei'' is found on the
North West Cape
North West Cape is a peninsula in the north-west of Western Australia. Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge. It is in the Gascoyne region and includes the town of Exmouth.
History
In 1618, ...
peninsula in northwestern Western Australia.
[ Maryan B et al. (2007).]
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 ''D. tealei'' are
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
and rocky areas.
Description
Legless and snake-like, ''D. tealei'' may attain a
snout-to-vent length (SVL) of almost .
[
]
Reproduction
''D. tealei'' 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
* Cogger HG (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
*Maryan, Brad; Aplin, Ken P.; Adams, Mark (2007). "Two new species of the ''Delma tincta'' group (Squamata: Pygopodidae) from northwestern Australia". ''Records of the Western Australian Museum'' 23: 273–305. (''Delma tealei'', new species, pp. 284–288, Figures 6–7).
*Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
Pygopodids of Australia
Delma
Reptiles described in 2007
Endemic fauna of Australia
{{Gecko-stub