''Philochortus neumanni'', known
commonly as Neumann's orangetail 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 in 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. 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 else ...
to the
Arabian Peninsula in
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''neumanni'', is in honor of German ornithologist
Oscar Neumann
Oscar Rudolph Neumann (3 September 1867 in Berlin – 17 May 1946 in Chicago) was a German ornithologist and naturalist who explored and collected specimens in Africa. He fled via Cuba and settled in the United States to escape Nazi persecutio ...
.
Geographic range
''P. neumanni'' is found in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and
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 ...
.
Description
Dorsally
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
, ''P. neumanni'' is brown or blackish with six narrow yellow stripes. Ventrally, it is white. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about . The tail is very long, about .
[ Boulenger GA (1917). "On the Lizards of the Genus ''Philocortus'' Matschie". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1917: 145-157 + Plates I-II. (''Philochortus neumanni'', pp. 150-152 + Plate II, figure 1).]
Reproduction
''P. neumanni'' is
oviparous.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Arnold EN (1986). "A Key and Annotated Checklist to the Lizards and Amphibaenians of Arabia". ''Fauna of Saudi Arabia'' 8: 385–535.
* Matschie P (1893). "''Ueber einege von Herrn O N bei Aden gesammelte und beobachtete Säugethiere, Reptilien und Amphibien'' ". ''Sitzungs-Berichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin'' 1893: 24–31. (''Philochortus neumanni'', new species, pp. 30–31). (in German and Latin).
Philochortus
Reptiles described in 1893
Taxa named by Paul Matschie
{{Lacertidae-stub