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.
| Boettger's lizard | |
|---|---|
| Young female of Gallotia caesaris gomerae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Genus: | Gallotia |
| Species: | G. caesaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Gallotia caesaris (Lehrs, 1914) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
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
Reproduction
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies:[2]
- Gallotia caesaris caesaris (Lehrs, 1914) – El Hierro
- Gallotia caesaris gomerae (C. Boettger & L. Müller, 1914) – La Gomera
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Gallotia.