''Phrynocephalus forsythii'', also known
commonly as Forsyth's toadhead agama and Forsyth's toad-headed 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 ...
Agamidae
Agamidae is a family (biology), family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Overview
phylogenetics, Phylogenetic ...
. 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
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
[
]
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 ...
, ''forsythii'', is in honor of English diplomat Thomas Douglas Forsyth
Sir Thomas Douglas Forsyth (7 October 1827 – 17 December 1886) was an Anglo-Indian administrator and diplomat.
Early life
Forsyth was born in Birkenhead on 7 October 1827. He was the tenth child of Thomas Forsyth, a Liverpool merchant. His ...
.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phrynocephalus forsythii'', p. 93).]
Geographic range
''P. forsythii'' is found in northwestern China, in the Tarim Basin
The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Northwest China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, China." Hydr ...
portion of the autonomous region of Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
.[
]
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. forsythii'' 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 ...
, at altitudes of .
Reproduction
''P. forsythii'' 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 ...
.[ Litter size is one to six young.]
References
Further reading
* Anderson J (1872). "On some Persian, Himalayan, and other Reptiles". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1872: 371–404. (''Phrynocephalus forsythii'', pp. 390–392, Figure 7).
* Barabanov AV, Ananjeva NB (2007). "Catalogue of the available scientific species-group names for lizards of the genus ''Phrynocephalus'' Kaup, 1825 (Reptilia, Sauria, Agamidae)". ''Zootaxa'' 1399: 1–56.
* Qi, Yue, Ding, Li; Zhao, Yangyang; Niu, Chenkai; Wang, Xiaoning; Zhao, Wei (2020). "Toad-headed Lizard ''Phrynocephalus forsythii'' (Squamata, Agamidae) as a Potential Ring Species Inferred from Population Genetic Differentiation". ''Asian Herpetological Research'' 2020 (4): 312–323.
* Zugmayer E (1909). "''Beiträge zur Herpetologie von Zentral-Asien'' ". ''Zoologische Jahrbücher'' 27: 481–508. (''Phrynocephalus theobaldi'' var. ''forsythii'', pp. 502–504). (in German).
forsythii
Reptiles of China
Endemic fauna of China
Reptiles described in 1872
Taxa named by John Anderson (zoologist)
{{Agamidae-stub