''Andinosaura petrorum'' 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 ...
Gymnophthalmidae
Gymnophthalmidae is a family of lizards with at least 250 species, sometimes known commonly as spectacled lizards or microteiids. They are called "spectacled" because of their transparent lower eyelids, which allow them to still see with closed ...
.
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
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''petrorum'' (masculine genitive plural), is in honor of three men named Peters or Peter: German zoologist
Wilhelm Peters
Wilhelm Karl Hartwich (or Hartwig) Peters (22 April 1815 in Koldenbüttel – 20 April 1883) was a German natural history, naturalist and explorer.
He was assistant to the anatomist Johannes Peter Müller and later became curator of the Natural ...
, American herpetologist
James A. Peters
James Arthur Peters (July 13, 1922 – December 18, 1972) was an American herpetologists and zoogeographer.
He was born in Durant, Iowa; raised in Greenup, Illinois. He studied at the University of Michigan and obtained his Ph.D. in biology i ...
, and American herpetologist
Peter D. Spoecker.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Riama petrorum'', p. 204).]
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 ''A. petrorum'' is forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
.[
]
Reproduction
''A. petrorum'' 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
* Doan TM, Castoe TA (2005). "Phylogenetic taxonomy of the Cercosaurini (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae), with new genera for species of ''Neusticurus'' and ''Proctoporus'' ". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 143: 405–416. (''Riama petrorum'', new combination).
*Kizirian, David A. (1996). "A Review of Ecuadorian ''Proctoporus'' (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) with Descriptions of Nine New Species". ''Herpetological Monographs'' 10: 85–155. (''Proctoporus petrorum'', new species).
* Sánchez-Pacheco SJ, Torres-Carvajal O, Aguirre-Peñafiel V, Sales Nunes PM, Verrastro L, Rivas GA, Rodrigues MT, Grant T, Murphy RW (2017). "Phylogeny of ''Riama'' (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae), impact of phenotypic evidence on molecular datasets, and the origin of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta endemic fauna". ''Cladistics'' 34 (3): 260–291. (''Andinosaura petrorum'', new combination).
Andinosaura
Reptiles of Ecuador
Endemic fauna of Ecuador
Reptiles described in 1996
Taxa named by David A. Kizirian
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN
{{lizard-stub