Gran Canaria giant lizard

Gran Canaria giant lizard
On Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Lacertidae
Genus:Gallotia
Species: G. stehlini
Binomial name
Gallotia stehlini
(Schenkel, 1901)
Synonyms[2]
  • Lacerta galloti var. stehlini
    Schenkel, 1901
  • Lacerta stehlini
    — Boulenger, 1920
  • Lacerta simonyi stehlini
    — Mertens, 1928
  • Lacerta stehlini
    — Kramer, 1979
  • Gallotia stehlini
    — Hernández et al., 2000

The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.

Etymology

The specific name, stehlini, is in honor of Swiss paleontologist Hans Georg Stehlin, who collected the holotype.[3]

Description

Gallotia stehlini grows to a total length (including tail) of up to 80 cm (31 in). They are among one of the largest reptiles within the family lacertidae. The species comes in a variation of grays, browns and reddish hues. Unlike their female counterparts, males exhibit sizable jowls, robust heads and overall greater body mass.

Gallotia stehlini is a true omnivore. The young often consuming various invertebrates, vegetation and soft fruits. As they mature, their diet largely consists of plant matter.

Geographic range

G. stehlini is endemic to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain but it has been introduced to Fuerteventura.[1]

Habitat

The natural habitats of G. stehlini are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, and pastureland.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jose Antonio Mateo Miras; Valentin Pérez-Mellado & Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Gallotia stehlini". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61506A12494509. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "Gallotia stehlini ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gallotia stehlini, p. 252).

Further reading

  • Hernández, Efraín; Nogales, Manuel; Martín, Aurelio (2000). "Discovery of a New Lizard in the Canary Islands, with a Multivariate Analysis of Gallotia (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Herpetologica 56 (1): 63-76.
  • Schenkel, Ehrenfried (1901). "Achter Nachtrag zum Katalog der herpetologischen Sammlung des Basler Museums ". Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 13: 142-199. (Lacerta galloti var. stehlini, new variation, p. 187). (in German).
Gran Canaria giant lizard


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