Boettger's lizard

Species of lizard From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boettger's lizard (Gallotia caesaris) is a species of wall lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. There are two recognized subspecies.

Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Lacertidae
Quick facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Boettger's lizard
Young female of
Gallotia caesaris gomerae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Gallotia
Species:
G. caesaris
Binomial name
Gallotia caesaris
(Lehrs, 1914)
Synonyms[2]
  • Lacerta caesaris
    Lehrs, 1914
  • Lacerta galloti caesaris
    C. Boettger & L. Müller, 1914
  • Gallotia galloti caesaris
    Bischoff, 1985
  • Gallotia caesaris
    Bannert, 1998
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Etymology

The specific name, caesaris, is in honor of German malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger, who was a nephew of German herpetologist Oskar Boettger.[3]

Geographic range

G. caesaris is native to two of the western Canary Islands, El Hierro and La Gomera.[2] On the neighboring islands Tenerife and La Palma it is replaced by its close relative Gallotia galloti.[4] G. caesaris has been introduced by humans on the Portuguese island of Madeira.[5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of G. caesaris are rocky areas, shrubland, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[5]

Reproduction

G. caesaris is oviparous.[2] A sexually mature female may lay three clutches per year, and each clutch may contain 1–5 eggs.[5]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies:[2]

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Gallotia.

References

Further reading

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