Mesaspis moreletii
| Mesaspis moreletii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Infraorder: | Diploglossa |
| Family: | Anguidae |
| Subfamily: | Gerrhonotinae |
| Genus: | Mesaspis |
| Species: | M. moreletii |
| Binomial name | |
| Mesaspis moreletii (Bocourt, 1872) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Mesaspis moreletii, commonly known as Morelet's alligator lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to Central America.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, moreletii, is in honor of French naturalist Pierre Marie Arthur Morelet.[3]
Geographic range
M. moreletii is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and possibly Nicaragua.[1]
Habitat
The natural habitat of M. moreletii consists of Central American pine-oak forests and cloud forests between 1,450 and 2,530 metres (4,760 and 8,300 ft) above sea level.[1]
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognized as being valid:[1]
- Mesaspis moreletii moreletii (Bocourt, 1872)
- Mesaspis moreletii fulvus (Bocourt, 1871)
- Mesaspis moreletii rafaeli (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
- Mesaspis moreletii salvadorensis (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
- Mesaspis moreletii temporalis (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Mesaspis.
The subspecific name, rafaeli, is in honor of Mexican herpetologist Rafael Martín del Campo.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Veselý M. (2010). "Mesaspis moreletii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ↑ "Mesaspis moreletii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 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. ("Del Campo", p. 69; "Mesaspis moreleti [sic]", pp. 182-183; "Mesaspis moreleti [sic] rafaeli", p. 215).
Further reading
- Bocourt MF ("1871", 1872). "Description de quelques Gerrhonotes nouveaux provenant du Mexique et de l'Amérique centrale ". Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris 7 (4): 101-108. ("Gerrhonotus moreleti [sic], n. sp.", new species, p. 102; "Gerrh. moreletii [sic]", pp. 103–104). (in French).