Meroles
| Meroles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Meroles knoxii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Subfamily: | Lacertinae |
| Genus: | Meroles Gray, 1838 |
| Species | |
|
Eight species, see text. | |
Meroles is a genus of lizards, commonly known as desert lizards, in the family Lacertidae. The genus contains eight species, inhabiting southwestern Africa, especially the Namib Desert.
Description
Desert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales. The hind toes are elongated and possess fringes of scales.[1]
Species
The following eight species are recognized as being valid.[2]
- Meroles anchietae (Bocage, 1867)
- Meroles ctenodactylus (A. Smith, 1838)
- Meroles cuneirostris (Strauch, 1867)
- Meroles knoxii (Milne-Edwards, 1829)
- Meroles micropholidotus Mertens, 1938
- Meroles reticulatus (Bocage, 1867)
- Meroles suborbitalis (W. Peters, 1854)
- Meroles squamulosus (W. Peters, 1869)
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Meroles.
See also
References
- ↑ Branch, Bill (1998). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (3rd ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 164–167. ISBN 1868720403.
- ↑ "Meroles ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
- Gray JE. 1838. "Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., [First Series] 1: 274-283, 388-394. (Meroles, new genus, p. 282).
External links
- Meroles in the Reptile Database.
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