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Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi

{{Short description|Species of lizard}}

{{Use South African English|date = July 2023}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn|access-date=26 April 2023|author1=Conradie, W.|author2=Tolley, K.A.|author3=Weeber, J.|author4=Pietersen, D.|author5=Alexander, G.J.|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T110221422A197427541.en|page=e.T110221422A197427541|title=Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi|volume=2022|year=2022}}

| genus = Tetradactylus

| species = fitzsimonsi

| authority = Hewitt, 1915

| range_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=FitzSimons' long-tailed seps range.map}}

| range_map_caption = IUCN range

{{leftlegend|#856953|Extant (resident)}}

| synonyms = *Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi
{{small|Hewitt, 2015}}

  • Tetradactylus africanus fitzsimonsi
    {{small|— V. FitzSimons, 1943}}
  • Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi
    {{small|— Bates et al., 2014}}

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi, commonly known as Fitzsimons' long-tailed seps and FitzSimons' whip lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae. The species is endemic to South Africa.{{cite web|url=http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Tetradactylus&species=fitzsimonsi|title=Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi |work=The Reptile Database|access-date=2007-12-30}}

Etymology

The specific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honour of Irish-born South African herpetologist Frederick William FitzSimons.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}}. (Tetradactylus africanus fitzsimonsi, p. 91).

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. fitzsimonsi are grassland and shrubland.

Description

T. fitzsimonsi has no front legs. Its hind legs are minute, with only one toe on each foot. Adults may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about {{cvt|8|cm|in}} and a total length (including a long tail) of about {{cvt|34|cm|in}}.

Reproduction

T. fitzsimonsi is oviparous. A clutch of 2–5 eggs is laid in a live ant nest (Anochetus faurei). Communal nesting has been observed. Each egg measures about {{cvt|1.5|x|1.0|cm|in}}. Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of about {{cvt|12.5|cm|in}}.Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. {{ISBN|0-88359-042-5}}. (Tetradactylus africanus fitzsimonsi, p. 182 + Plate 50).

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Bates MF, Branch WR, Bauer AM, Burger M, Marais J, Alexander GJ, de Villiers MS (editors) (2014). Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). xvii + 485 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-919976-84-6}}. (Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi, p. 234).
  • FitzSimons VF (1943). The Lizards of South Africa. Transvaal Museum Memoir No. 1. Pretoria: Transvaal Museum. xvi + 528 pp. (Tetradactylus africanus fitzsimonsi, new taxonomic status, p. 297).
  • Hewitt J (1915). "Descriptions of two new South African lizards, Tetradactylus levicauda and T. fitzsimonsi ". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 5 (2): 101–103. (Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi, new species).

{{Taxonbar|from=Q111982965}}

Category:Tetradactylus

Category:Reptiles described in 1915

Category:Fauna of South Africa

Category:Taxa named by John Hewitt (herpetologist)

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