Algerian sand runner
Algerian sand runner | ||||||||||||
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![]() Algerian sand runner ( Psammodromus algirus ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Psammodromus algirus | ||||||||||||
( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Algerian sand runner ( Psammodromus algirus ) is a lizard and belongs to the genus of sand walkers ( Psammodromus ).
features
The Algerian sand runner is 25 to 30 centimeters long, with up to two thirds of the tail. The pointed snout of the animals is also striking. The back scales are large and lie on top of each other like roof tiles. They are strongly keeled. Two yellow, dark-lined stripes stretch across its brown or olive-colored back. Southern specimens of the species have a reddish color on the throat and sides of the head. The males have two blue shoulder spots and an orange-red cheek and throat coloration at mating season. The belly is whitish to green.
distribution
Its distribution includes northern Morocco , northern Algeria and most of the Iberian Peninsula , southern France west of the Rhone and parts of the Balearic island of Mallorca . In the Sierra Nevada the species can be found up to an altitude of 2,600 meters. There is also a population on Isola dei Conigli , an islet just off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa .
Way of life
The Algerian sand runner is an extremely nimble lizard. He lives in dry sand areas covered with rubble that are overgrown with scrub. It can also sometimes be seen in gardens and parks. When threatened or in combat, it makes squeaking noises.
literature
- Axel Kwet: Reptiles and Amphibians of Europe. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10237-8 .
- P. Masius: First record of Psammodromus algirus in Mallorca. In: The Lizard. Vol. 10, No. 2, 1999, ISSN 0945-5183 , p. 64.
- Peter Schulze Niehoff: As sandpiper to sandpiper - In search of the Algerian sandpiper, Psammodromus algirus (Linnaeus, 1758), on Mallorca. In: The Lizard. Vol. 25, No. 2, 2014, pp. 43-48.
- Pere Vicens: Sobre la presènica de Psammodromus algirus Linnaeus, 1759 (Sauria, Reptilia) a Mallorca. In: Bolletí de la Societat d'Història Natural de les Balears. Vol. 48, 2005, ISSN 0212-260X , pp. 109-112.
Web links
- Psammodromus algirus inthe IUCN Red List of Endangered Species 2013.1. Posted by: Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Marc Cheylan, M. Saïd Nouira, Ulrich Joger, Paulo Sá-Sousa, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Roberto Sindaco, 2009. Accessed September 7, 2013.
- Picture at www.hlasek.com
- Photos of the Algerian sand runner on www.herp.it
- Psammodromus algirus in The Reptile Database