''Neusticurus medemi'', also known
commonly as Medem's neusticurus, is a
species 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 Gymnophthalmidae.
The species is native to northern
South America.
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 ...
, ''medemi'', is in honor of Colombian herpetologist
Federico Medem.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Neusticurus medemi'', p. 174).]
Geographic range
''N. medemi'' is found in
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 ...
(
Vaupés Department) and
Venezuela.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of ''N. medemi'' are freshwater wetlands
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
and forest, at altitudes of
Reproduction
''N. medemi'' 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
* Dixon JR, Lamar WW (1981). "A New Species of Microteiid Lizard (Genus ''Neusticurus'') from Colombia". ''Journal of Herpetology'' 15 (3): 309–314. (''Neusticurus medemi'', new species).
* Rivas GA, César R. Molina CR, Ugueto GN, Barros TR, Barrio-Amorós CL, Kok PJR (2012). "Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist" ''Zootaxa'' 3211: 1–64.
Neusticurus
Reptiles of Colombia
Reptiles of Venezuela
Reptiles described in 1981
Taxa named by James R. Dixon
Taxa named by William W. Lamar
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