''Enyalius boulengeri'', also known
commonly as the Brazilian fathead anole, 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 ...
Leiosauridae
Leiosauridae is a family of iguanian lizards containing six genera and 34 species. The family is endemic to Central America and South America.
Taxonomy
A 2022 phylogenetic study found the Leiosauridae to be the sister taxa to the Opluridae, a ...
.
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
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 ...
.
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 ...
, ''boulengeri'', is in honor of Belgian-born British herpetologist
George Albert Boulenger
George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...
.
[ Etheridge R (1969).]
Geographic range
''E. boulengeri'' is found in southeastern Brazil, in the Brazilian states of
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...
and
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
.
[
]
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 ...
of ''E. boulengeri'' is 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' ...
.[
]
Description
The 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 ...
of ''E. boulengeri'', which is an adult female, has a snout to vent length (SVL) of , and a tail length of .[
]
Reproduction
''E. boulengeri'' 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 ...
. Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
size is 7–12 eggs.[Barreto-Lima, André F.; Ornellas, Iago S.; Nóbrega, Yhuri C.; Silva-Soares, Thiago (2020). "Mating behaviour of ''Enyalius boulengeri'' Etheridge (Squamata, Leiosauridae)". ''Herpetology Notes'' 13: 241–244.]
References
Further reading
* Etheridge R (1969). "A review of the iguanid lizard genus ''Enyalius'' ". ''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology'' 18 (8): 233–260. (''Enyalius boulengeri'', new species, pp. 250–252, Figure 7).
* Frost DR, Etheridge R, Janies D, Titus TA (2001). "Total evidence, sequence alignment, evolution of polychrotid lizards, and a reclassification of the Iguania (Squamata, Iguania)". ''American Museum Novitates'' (3343): 1–22.
* Rodrigues MT, Bertolotto CEV, Amaro RC, Yonenaga-Yassuda Y, Freire EMX, Pellegrino KCM (2014). "Molecular phylogeny, species limits, and biogeography of the Brazilian endemic lizard genus ''Enyalius'' (Squamata: Leiosauridae): An example of the historical relationship between Atlantic Forests and Amazonia". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 81: 137–146.
Enyalius
Reptiles described in 1969
Lizards of Brazil
Endemic reptiles of Brazil
Taxa named by Richard Emmett Etheridge
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