''Liolaemus foxi'', also known
commonly as Fox’s lizard and ''la lagartija de Fox'' in Chilean Spanish, 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 ...
Liolaemidae
Liolaemidae are a family of iguanian lizards. They are traditionally included in the Iguanidae as subfamily Liolaeminae, which some more recent authors prefer to delimit in a more restricted way. A common name for this group is liolaemids. Liolae ...
.
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
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
.
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 ...
, ''foxi'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Stanley Forrest Fox.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Liolaemus foxi'', p. 93).]
Geographic range
''L. foxi'' is found in northern Chile,
[ in Antofagasta Region.]
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 ''L. foxi'' is sandy desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
with rocky areas, at altitudes of .
Reproduction
''L. foxi'' is ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Demangel D (2016). ''Reptiles en Chile''. Santiago de Chile: Fauna Nativa Ediciones. 619 pp. . (in Spanish).
* Núñez H, Navarro J, Veloso A (2000). "Liolaemus foxi, ''una nueva especie de lagarto para el norte de Chile (Squamata: Reptilia: Sauria)''". ''Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile'' 49 (1): 117–130. (''Liolaemus foxi'', new species). (in Spanish, with an abstract in English).
* Pincheira-Donoso D, Núñez H (2005). "''Las especies chilenas del género ''Liolaemus'' Wiegmann, 1834 (Iguania: Tropiduridae: Liolaeminae) taxonomía, sistemática y evolución'' ". ''Publicación Ocasional del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile'' (59): 7–486. (''Liolaemus foxi'', pp. 126–131, Figure 7). (in Spanish, with an abstract in English).
{{lizard-stub
foxi
Reptiles described in 2000
Reptiles of Chile
Endemic fauna of Chile