''Harpesaurus beccarii'', also known
commonly as the Sumatra nose-horned lizard or the Sumatran nose-horned 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 ...
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 ...
Agamidae
Agamidae is a family (biology), family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Overview
phylogenetics, Phylogenetic ...
. 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
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.
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 ...
, ''beccarii'', is in honor of Italian botanist
Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari (16 November 1843 – 25 October 1920) was an Italian botanist famous for his discoveries in Indonesia, particularly New Guinea, and Australia. He has been called the greatest botanist to ever study Malesia. His author abbreviat ...
.
Description
''H. beccarii'' may attain a
snout-to-vent length of (not including the rostral appendage), and a tail length of . The rostral appendage, which measures , is double, consisting of a longer anterior "horn" and a shorter posterior "horn". The body is bluish green
dorsally
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
.
[ de Rooij N (1915). ''The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. I. Lacertilia, Chelonia, Emydosauria.'' Leiden: E. J. Brill Ltd. xiv + 384 pp. (''Harpesaurus beccarii'', pp. 97–98, Figure 49).]
Reproduction
''H. beccarii'' 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
* Böhme W (1989). "Rediscovery of the Sumatran agamid lizard ''Harpesaurus beccarii'' Doria 1888, with the first notes on a live specimen". ''Tropical Zoology'' 2: 31–35.
* Doria G (1888). "''Note erpetologiche. I. Alcuni nuovi sauri raccolti in Sumatra dal D.re O. Beccari'' ". ''Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie Seconda'' 6: 646–652 + Plate VIII. (''Harpesaurus beccarii'', new species, pp. 646–648 + Plate VIII, figure 2). (in Italian).
* Manthey U (1990). "''Das Portrait: ''Harpesaurus beccarii'' Doria'' ". ''Sauria'' 12 (3): 1–2. (in German).
Harpesaurus
Reptiles of Indonesia
Endemic fauna of Sumatra
Reptiles described in 1888
Taxa named by Giacomo Doria
{{agamidae-stub