Gambelia

Gambelia
Gambelia wislizenii,
long-nosed leopard lizard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Crotaphytidae
Genus: Gambelia
Baird, 1859[1]

Gambelia is a genus of lizards, commonly known as leopard lizards, within the family Crotaphytidae. Leopard lizards are indigenous to arid environments of southwestern North America.

Species in the genus Gambelia superficially resemble those of the genus Crotaphytus. However, one difference between the genera Gambelia and Crotaphytus is that leopard lizards have fracture planes in their tails, allowing the tails to break off when grasped by predators.

Etymology

The generic name, Gambelia, is in honor of American naturalist William Gambel.[2]

Species

Three species are recognized.[3]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Gambelia.

References

  1. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. 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. (Genus Gambelia, p. 97).
  3. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gambelia.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.