Abronia moreletii
Species of lizard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abronia moreletii, commonly known as Morelet's alligator lizard and escorpión de Morelet in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Gerrhonotinae of the family Anguidae. The species is native to Central America.[1] There are four recognized subspecies.
| Abronia moreletii | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Anguimorpha |
| Family: | Anguidae |
| Genus: | Abronia |
| Species: | A. moreletii |
| Binomial name | |
| Abronia moreletii (Bocourt, 1872) | |
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| Synonyms[3] | |
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Etymology
The specific name, moreletii, is in honor of French naturalist Pierre Marie Arthur Morelet.[4]
Geographic range
Abronia moreletii is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.[1]
Habitat
The natural habitat of Abronia moreletii consists of Central American pine-oak forests and cloud forests between 1,450 and 2,530 metres (4,760 and 8,300 ft) above sea level.[1]
Behavior
Abronia moreletii is terrestrial and semi-arboreal.[1]
Reproduction
The mode of reproduction of Abronia moreletii has been described as being viviparous[1] and as being ovoviviparous.[3]
Subspecies
The following four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[3]
- Abronia moreletii moreletii (Bocourt, 1872)
- Abronia moreletii rafaeli (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
- Abronia moreletii salvadorensis (Schmidt, 1928)
- Abronia moreletii temporalis (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Abronia.
The subspecific name, rafaeli, is in honor of Mexican herpetologist Rafael Martín del Campo.[4]
