''Pedioplanis breviceps'', known
commonly as the short-headed sand lizard, the short-headed sandveld lizard, and Sternfeld's sand 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 ...
Lacertidae
The Lacertidae are the family (biology), family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at least 300 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group o ...
. 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
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
.
Geographic range
''P. breviceps'' is found in northwestern Namibia.
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 ''P. breviceps'' is
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 ...
.
[
]
Description
''P. breviceps'' is a small species for its genus. It has a short head, to which 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 ...
, ''breviceps'', refers. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The lower eyelid is scaly and opaque, without a "window". There is sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
in coloration: adult females and juveniles have distinct dark dorsal stripes, but adult males are uniformly brown dorsally.[ Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised Edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Pedioplanis breviceps'', pp. 170-171 + Plate 58).]
Reproduction
''P. breviceps'' 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 ...
.[ An adult female may lay a ]clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
of 2–4 eggs. Each egg measures by . Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of .[
]
References
Further reading
* Conradie W, Measey GJ, Branch WR, Tolley KA (2012). "Revised phylogeny of African sand lizards (''Pedioplanis''), with description of two new species from south-western Angola". ''African Journal of Herpetology'' 61 (2): 91–112.
* Makokha JS, Bauer AM, Mayer W, Matthee CA (2007). "Nuclear and mtDNA-based phylogeny of southern African sand lizards, ''Pedioplanis'' (Sauria: Lacertidae)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 44 (2): 622–633.
* Sternfeld R (1911). "''Zur Herpetologie Südwestafrikas'' ". ''Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin'' 5: 393–411. (''Eremias breviceps'', new species, p. 404, Figure 2). (in German).
Pedioplanis
Reptiles described in 1911
Endemic fauna of Namibia
Taxa named by Richard Sternfeld
{{Lacertidae-stub