''Holcosus anomalus'', also known
commonly as Echternacht's ameiva, 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 ...
Teiidae
Teiidae is a family of autarchoglossan lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnopthalmidae, and both families ...
. 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
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
.
Geographic range
''H. anomalus'' is found in the
Pacific lowlands of Colombia.
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 ''H. anomalus'' 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' ...
, at altitudes from sea level to .
Description
Moderately large for its
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, ''H. anomalus'' may attain a
snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The
ventral scales
In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that conta ...
on the chest are granular, a character which is unique in its genus and in its
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
(Teiinae).
[
]
Behavior
''H. anomalus'' is terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
.
Reproduction
''H. anomalus'' 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
* Castro-Herrera F, Vargas-Salinas F (2008). "''Anfibios y reptiles en el departamento del Valle del Cauca, Colombia'' ". ''Biota Colombiana'' 9 (2): 251–277. (in Spanish, with an abstract in English).
* Echternacht AC (1977). "A New Species of Lizard of the Genus ''Ameiva'' (Teiidae) from the Pacific Lowlands of Colombia". ''Copeia'' 1977 (1): 1–7. (''Ameiva anomala'', new species).
* Harvey MB, Ugueto GN, Gutberlet RL (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". ''Zootaxa'' 3459: 1–156. (''Holcosus anomalus'', new combination).
*Ríos, Edwin Erick; Hurtado P., Carlos Felzer; Rengifo M., Jhon Tailor; Castro Herrera, Fernando (2011). "''Lagartos en comunidades naturales de dos localidades en la región del Chocó de Colombia'' ". ''Herpetotropicos'' 5 (2): 85–92. (in Spanish, with an abstract in English).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2842578
abaetensis
Reptiles described in 1977
Taxa named by Arthur C. Echternacht