Shovel-snouted lizard

Shovel-snouted lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Meroles
Species:
M. anchietae
Binomial name
Meroles anchietae
(Bocage, 1867)
Synonyms
  • Pachyrhynchus anchietæ
    Bocage, 1867
  • Aporosaura anchietæ
    — Boulenger, 1887
  • Aporosaura anchietae
    — Loveridge, 1936
  • Meroles anchietae
    — Arnold, 1989

The shovel-snouted lizard (Meroles anchietae), also known commonly as Anchieta's desert lizard, Anchieta's dune lizard and the Namib sand-diver, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, anchietae, is in honor of Portuguese naturalist José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, who was an explorer of Africa.

Geographic range

M. anchietae is found in Angola and Namibia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of M. anchietae is desert, with aeolian sand dunes and sparse vegetation, at altitudes from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft).

Description

Adults of M. anchietae have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 5 cm (2.0 in).

Diet

M. anchietae preys upon insects, especially small beetles, as well as fresh plants. Some individuals in the Namib Desert have been observed to eat seeds occasionally, while others consume seeds exclusively. Such seeds are typically eaten in their green, unripe phase, and could thus be considered a form of herbivory rather than granivory.

Reproduction

M. anchietae is oviparous.

References

  1. 1 2 Baptista N, Bauer AM, Becker F, Conradie W (2020). "Meroles anchietae ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T196981A110221608. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T196981A110221608.en. Downloaded on 12 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Meroles anchietae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (Aporosaura anchietæ, new combination, p. 117).
  4. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Meroles anchietae, p. 8).
  5. ↑ 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. (Meroles anchietae, pp. 164–165 + Plate 56).
  6. 1 2 3 Nagy, Kenneth A.; Shemanski, Danielle R. (2009-05-15). "Observations on diet and seed digestion in a Sand Dune Lizard, Meroles anchietae". African Journal of Herpetology. 58 (1): 39–43. doi:10.1080/21564574.2009.9635579. ISSN 2156-4574.

Further reading