Weapontail
| Weapontail | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Hoplocercidae |
| Genus: | Hoplocercus Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Species: | H. spinosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hoplocercus spinosus (Fitzinger, 1843)[1] | |
The Weapontail or Brazilian spiny-tailed lizard (Hoplocercus spinosus) is a lizard belonging to the monotypic genus Hoplocercus.[1] It is found in the Cerrado and adjacent Cerrado–Amazon mosaics in Brazil and Bolivia.[1] It is a quite distantly related of the other members of Hoplocercidae, as it is believed to have diverged from these about 35 million years ago.[1]
As suggested by its name, it has a short, highly spiny tail (it is superficially similar to Uromastyx and the smaller species in Ctenosaura); when disturbed, it retreats to its burrow with the tail orientated towards the entrance.[1] It is nocturnal, and feeds on arthropods.[1]
References
Further reading
- Avila-Pires,T.C.S. (1995). Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zool. Verh., Leiden 299: 1-706
- Boulenger, G.A. (1885). Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2, Second edition. London, xiii+497 pp.
- Dirksen, L. & De la Riva, I. 1999. The lizards and amphisbaenians of Bolivia (Reptilia, Squamata): checklist, localities, and bibliography. Graellsia 55: 199-215
- Estes, Richard & Pregill, Gregory, eds. 1988. Phylogenetic relationships of the Lizard Families: Esaays Commemorating Charles L. Camp. Stanford University Press, xvi + 632 pp.
- Fitzinger, L. (1843). Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae. Braumüller et Seidel, Wien: 106 pp.
- Harvey, M. B. (1995). A preliminary list of the reptiles and amphibians of the El Refugio biological reserve. In: Forsyth, A. (ed.), A report on aspects of biodiversiy and conservation potential in El Refugio.
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