Koelliker's glass lizard (''Hyalosaurus koellikeri''), also called
commonly the Moroccan glass lizard, is a
species 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 Anguidae.
[ The species is native to western North Africa.
]
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 ...
, ''koellikeri'', is in honor of Swiss histologist Albert von Kölliker
Albert von Kölliker (born Rudolf Albert Kölliker'';'' 6 July 18172 November 1905) was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, and histologist.
Biography
Albert Kölliker was born in Zurich, Switzerland. His early education was carried on in Zurich, ...
.
Geographic range
''H. koellikeri'' is found in Algeria and Morocco.[
]
Habitat
The natural habitats of Koelliker's glass lizard are temperate forests, shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
, temperate grassland, and pastureland, at altitudes up to .[
]
Description
''H. koellikeri'' has no fore limbs, but does have rudimentary hind limbs. Dorsally, it is brownish, with a darker lateral band. Ventrally, it is yellowish.Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer
* Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo
* George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...
(1885).
Taxonomy
''Hyalosaurus koellikeri'' has often been historically included within the genus '' Ophisaurus,'' but genetic evidence has shown ''Hyalosaurus koellikeri'' to be more closely related to ''Anguis
SlowwormsThe "slow-" in slowworm is distinct from the English adjective ''slow'' ("not fast"); the word comes from Old English ''slāwyrm'', where ''slā-'' means "slowworm" and ''wyrm'' means "serpent, reptile". () (also called blindworms and ha ...
'' and '' Pseudopus'' than to ''Ophisaurus''.
Reproduction
''H. koellikeri'' 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 ...
.[
]
Conservation status
''H. koellikeri'' is threatened by habitat loss.[
]
References
Further reading
* Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Anguidae ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (''Ophisaurus koellokeri'', new combination, p. 283 + Plate XV, figures 2, 2a, 2b).
* Escoriza D, Comas MM (2011). "''Nova cita de ''Hyalosaurus koellikeri'' (Squamata: Anguidae) a la regió de Debdou (Nord-est de Marroc)''". ''Butlletí de la Societat Catalana d'Herpetologia'' 19: 122–124, Figures 1–2. (in Catalan, with an abstract in English).
* Günther A (1873). "Description of a new Saurian (''Hyalosaurus'') allied to ''Pseudopus'' ". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Fourth Series'' 11: 351. ("''Hyalosaurus Kœllikeri'' ", new species).
* Sindaco R, Jeremčenko VK (2008). ''The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia''. (Monographs of the ''Societas Herpetologica Italica''). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. . (''Hyalosaurus koellikeri'' ).
Anguids
Reptiles described in 1873
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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