''Pedioplanis gaerdesi'', known
commonly as the Kaokoland sand lizard, the Kaokoveld sand lizard, and Mayer'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 ...
.
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 ...
, ''gaerdesi'', is in honor of German zoologist
Jan Gaerdes (1889–1981), who lived in Namibia for many years.
Geographic range
''P. gaerdesi'' is found in northwestern Namibia.
Habitat
The 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. gaerdesi'' 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
Adults of ''P. gaerdesi'' have a snout-to-vent length SVL of . The tail is very long, almost three times SVL. Dorsally, ''P. gaerdesi'' is golden brown. Ventrally, it is cream-colored. The flanks are spotted with yellow. The transparent "window" of the lower eyelid, which consist of one large scale, is ringed with black.[ 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 gaerdesi'', p. 174 + Plate 103).]
Reproduction
''P. gaerdesi'' 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
* Bauer AM, Branch WR, Haacke WD (1993). "The herpetofauna of the Kamanjab area and adjacent Damaraland, Namibia". ''Madoqua, Windhoek'' 18 (2): 117–145. (''Pedioplanis gaerdesi'', new status).
* Conradie W, Measey GJ, Branch WR, Tolley KA (2012). "Revised phylogeny of African sand lizards (''Pedioplanis''), with the description of two new species from south-western Angola". ''African Journal of Herpetology'' 61 (2): 91–112.
* Herrmann H-W, Branch WR (2013). "Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist". ''Journal of Arid Environments'' 93: 94–115.
* Mertens R (1954). "''Neue Eidechsen aus Südwest-Afrika''". ''Senckenbergiana'' 34: 175–183. (''Eremias undata gaerdesi'', new subspecies, p. 176). (in German).
Pedioplanis
Reptiles described in 1954
Endemic fauna of Namibia
Taxa named by Robert Mertens
{{Lacertidae-stub