Pedioplanis rubens

Pedioplanis rubens, called commonly the Waterberg sand lizard[2] and erroneously Ruben's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.[1]

Pedioplanis rubens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Pedioplanis
Species:
P. rubens
Binomial name
Pedioplanis rubens
(Mertens, 1954)
Synonyms[1]
  • Eremias undata rubens
    Mertens, 1954
  • Mesalina undata rubens
    Szczerbak, 1989
  • Pedioplanis undata rubens
    Mayer, 1989
  • Pedioplanis rubens
    Makokha et al., 2007

Etymology

The specific name, rubens, which means "tinged with red" in Latin, is not in honor of any person named Ruben,[3] but rather refers to the brick red color of the tail.[1]

Geographic range

P. rubens is found atop the northern portion of the Waterberg Plateau in Namibia.[2]

Habitat

The natural habitat of P. rubens is mopane savanna with red sandstone.[2]

Description

P. rubens may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 5 cm (2.0 in). The tail is long, slightly more than twice SVL. Dorsally, the head and body are brown, and the tail is bright brick red. Ventrally, it is lighter-colored.[2]

Reproduction

P. rubens is oviparous.[1]

References

  1. Pedioplanis rubens at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 16 May 2019.
  2. 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. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Pedioplanus rubens, p. 173 + Plate 58).
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp.ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5 (Pedioplanis rubens, p. 228).

Further reading

  • Makokha JS, Bauer AM, Mayer W, Matthee CA (2007). "Nuclear and mtDNA-based phylogeny of southern African sand lizards, Pedioplanis (Sauria: Lacertidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44 (2): 622-633. (Pedioplanis rubens, new status).
  • Mayer W (1989). "Comments on SZCZERBAK's (1975) catalogue of the African Sand Lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Eremiainae)". Herpetozoa 1 (3/4): 133-137. (Pedioplanis undata rubens, new combination, p. 135).
  • Mertens R (1954). "Neue Eidechsen aus Südwest-Afrika". Senckenbergiana 34: 175-183. (Eremias undata rubens, new subspecies, p. 177). (in German).
  • Szczerbak, "Nikolai N. [sic]" (1989). "Catalogue of the African Sand Lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Eremiainae: Lampreremias, Pseuderemias, Taenieremias, Mesalina, Meroles)". Herpetozoa 1 (3/4): 119-132. (Mesalina undata rubens, new combination, p. 125). (This paper was originally published in 1975 in Russian as "[Katalog afrikanskih Jascurok]". by the [Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Museum of Zoology, Kiev, USSR]).



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