''Latastia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of lizards of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lacertidae.

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 this genus are distributed in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

, Eritrea,

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesZambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, Sudan,

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

) but one subspecies (''Latastia longicaudata andersonii'') lives in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

.The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. Collectively, they are known as long-tailed lizards.

Etymology

Jacques von Bedriaga Jacques Vladimir von Bedriaga (last name sometimes spelled Bedryagha) (1854 - 1906) was a Russian herpetologist who was a native of Kriniz, a village near Voronezh. In scientific papers Bedriaga would sometimes alter his name to agree with the la ...

named this genus in honor of French

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Fernand Lataste Fernand Lataste (1847 - 1934) was a French zoologist and herpetologist born in Cadillac, Gironde. From 1880 to 1884 he collected reptiles and amphibians in North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco), publishing ''"Les missions scientifiques d ...

Diagnosis

Species of ''Latastia'' are medium to large-sized lacertids with long cylindrical tails. The unregenerated tail is up to 3.2 times longer than head and body. Eyes with movable lids. The

nostril A nostril (or naris , plural ''nares'' ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbi ...

is surrounded by 3-5 scales and usually reaches the first supralabial. The collar is well marked. Ventral plates smooth and in 6 longitudinal series (sometimes 8-10 with outer plates small). The dorsal scales are homogenous, small and granular or imbricate. There are no expanded scales along the mid-back line as in '' Philochortus''.

Femoral pore Femoral pores are a part of a holocrine secretory gland found on the inside of the thighs of certain lizards and amphisbaenians which releases pheromones to attract mates or mark territory. In certain species only the male has these pores and i ...

s are present on the inside of the thighs, more prominent in males. Tail base in males much broader than in females.Boulenger 1921

Habitat and natural history

Most long-tailed lizards of the genus ''Latastia'' inhabit well vegetated sandy or gravelly plains and large

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...

s in western and eastern Africa. They can be found in

semidesert A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

scrubland and deciduous '' Acacia''-''

Commiphora The genus of the myrrhs, ''Commiphora'', is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the ...

'' bushland where scrubby undergrowth is plentiful, in moist

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 ...

and high grassland Spawls et al. 2002 or in millet fields. ''Latastia boscai boscai'' and ''L. b. burii'' are known to occur in stony and rocky localities.Loveridge 1936 Species of ''Latastia'' are distributed from sea level to 2000 m altitude. They are diurnal, heliophilous and terrestrial, extremely wary fast-running lacertids which wander over large territories but forage mostly within vegetation cover during the heat of the day. They dart out into the sun to capture

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s and other

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

s, after which they retreat into shady areas beneath bushes (

thermoregulation Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

). All species lay eggs but clutch details are known only for ''L. longicaudata''. The population in

(''L. l. longicaudata'') produces clutches of 5-7 eggs between July and September Cissé, M. & Karns, D.R. 1978 while females of ''L. l. revoili'' in southeastern

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

lay only 3-4 eggs/clutch. Hatchlings appear during the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

Species

The

is composed of 10 recognized

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 ...

. Subspecies are described for '' Latastia boscai'', '' L. doriai'', and '' L. longicaudata''. *'' Latastia boscai'' Bedriaga, 1884 - Eritrea long-tailed lizard, Bosca's long-tailed lizard **''L. b. boscai'' Bedriaga, 1884 **''L. b. arenicola'' Parker, 1942 **''L. b. burii'' Boulenger, 1907 *'' Latastia caeruleopunctata'' Parker, 1935 - Parker's long-tailed lizard *''

Latastia cherchii ''Latastia cherchii'' is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Somalia. Etymology The specific name, ''cherchii'', is in honor of Italian herpetologist Maria Adelaide Cherchi. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; ...

'' Arillo,

Balletto Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form o ...

& Spanò, 1967 *''

Latastia doriai ''Latastia doriai'', also known commonly as Doria's long-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Horn of Africa. There are three recognized subspecies. Geographic range ''L. doriai'' is ...

'' Bedriaga, 1884 - Doria's long-tailed lizard **''L. d. doriai'' Bedriaga, 1884 **''L. d. martensi'' Bedriaga, 1884 **''L. d. scorteccii'' Arillo,

& Spanò, 1967 *'' Latastia johnstoni'' Boulenger, 1907 - Johnston's long-tailed lizard, Nyasaland long-tailed lizard *'' Latastia longicaudata'' ( Reuss, 1834) - southern long-tailed lizard, common long-tailed lizard **''L. l. longicaudata'' ( Reuss, 1834) **''L. l. andersonii'' Boulenger, 1921 **''L. l. lanzai'' Arillo,

& Spanò, 1967 **''L. l. revoili'' ( Vaillant, 1882) *'' Latastia ornata'' Monard, 1940 *'' Latastia petersiana'' Mertens, 1938 - Peters's long-tailed lizard *'' Latastia siebenrocki'' ( Tornier, 1905) - Siebenrock's long-tailed lizard *'' Latastia taylori'' Parker, 1942 - Taylor's long-tailed lizard Latastia longicaudata revoili

'' Latastia petersiana'' is the new name for ''Latastia carinata'' . ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Latastia''.

References

* Anderson J (1898)
"''Zoology of Egypt. Volume First. Reptilia and Batrachia''"
London: Bernard Quaritch. 572 pp. * Arillo A, Balletto E, Spanò S (1967). "''Il genere ''Latastia'' Bedriaga in Somalia'' ". ''Bollettino dei Musei e degli Istituti Biologici dell’Università di Genova'' 35 (229): 105-145. (''L. cherchii'', new species). (in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

). *Baha El Din S (2006). ''A Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Egypt''. Cairo and New York: The American University in Cairo Press. * Bedriaga J (1884)
"''Die neue Lacertiden-Gattung'' Latastia ''und ihre Arten'' (L. Doriai ''n. sp., var.'' Martensi ''m.,'' Samharica ''Blanf. und'' Boscai ''n. sp.'')"
''Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Giacomo Doria'' 20: 307-324. (''Latastia'', new genus). (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

). * Boulenger GA (1907)
"Descriptions of two new African lizards of the genus ''Latastia'' "
''

The Annals and Magazine of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') an ...

, Seventh Series'' 19: 392-394. (''L. johnstoni,'' new species). *Boulenger GA (1921)
''Monograph of the Lacertidae. Vol. II
'. London:

British Museum (Natural History) The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

, Department of Zoology. 451 pp. *Cissé M, Karns DR (1978). "''Les Sauriens du Sénégal'' ". ''Bull. de l’I.F.A.N., ser. A.,'' 40 (1): 144-211. (in French). *Dunger GT (1967)
"The Lizards and Snakes of Nigeria. Part 2: The Lacertids of Nigeria"
''The Nigerian Field'' 32 (3): 117-131. * Loveridge A (1936). "Scientific Results of an Expedition to Rain Forest Regions in Eastern Africa, V. Reptiles". ''Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard'' 79 (5): 209-337. * Mertens R (1938). "''Über eine herpetologische Sammlung aus dem Gebiete des Njarasa-Grabens Ost-Afrikas'' ". ''Veröffentlichungen aus dem Deutschen Kolonial- und Übersee-Museum in Bremen'' 2 (1): 1-9 o page numbers(''L. petersiana'', ''nomen novum'' for ''L. carinata''). (in German). * Monard A (1940). "''Résultats de la mission du Dr. Monard en Guinée Portugaise 1937 – 1938'' ". ''Arquivos do Museu Bocage, Lisbon'' 11: 147-182. (''L. ornata'', new species). (in French). * Parker HW (1935). "''Two new lizards from Somaliland'' ". ''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Tenth Series'' 16: 525-529. (''L. caeruleopunctata'', new species). *Parker HW (1942)
"The Lizards of British Somaliland"
''Bulletin of the

Museum of Comparative Zoology A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

at Harvard College'' 91 (1): 1-101.
''L. taylori'', new species
. * Peters WCH (1874)
"''Über einige neue Reptilien ( ''Lacerta, Eremias, Diploglossus, Euprepes, Lygosoma, Sepsina, Ablepharus, Simotes, Onychocephalus'')''"
''Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin'' 1874: 368-377. (''L. carinata'', new species). (in German). * Reuss A (1834)
"''Zoologische Miscellen, Reptilien. Saurier. Batrachier'' "
''Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der beschreibenden Naturgeschichte. Museum Senckenbergianum, Frankfurt am Main'' 1 (6): 27-62.
''L. longicaudata'', new species
. (in German). *Spawls S, Howell KM, Drewes RC, Ashe J (2002). ''A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa''. San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Boston, London: Academic Press, Elsevier Science. * Tornier G (1905)
"''Schildkröten und Eidechsen aus Nordost-Afrika und Arabien. Aus Carlo v. Erlanger`s und Oscar Neumann`s Forschungsreise'' "
''Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere, Jena'' 22: 365-388.
''L. siebenrocki'', new species
. (in German). * Vaillant L (1882)
"''Mission G. Révoil aux pays Çomalis. Reptiles et Batraciens'' "
''In'': Révoil G (1882). ''Faune et flore des pays Çomalis (Afrique orientale)''. Paris. 1-25. (in French).

External links

*For photos of many species and subspecies see "Bildarchiv" under species at: http://www.lacerta.de/AS/Taxon.php?Genus=39 {{Taxonbar, from=Q946579 Lizard genera Taxa named by Jacques von Bedriaga