Norops

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Norops
Norops auratus, the type species of the genus, is widespread in southern Central and northern South America.

Norops auratus , the type species of the genus, is widespread in southern Central and northern South America.

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Toxicofera
without rank: Iguana (Iguania)
Family : Dactyloidae
Genre : Norops
Scientific name
Norops
Wagler , 1830

Norops is a genus of small, neotropical lizards from the group of iguanas . Because of the close relationship with the genus anole , in which the animals were placed until recently, they are also called beta anoles . The generic name is derived from the Greek and refers to the bright colors of the type species Norops auratus (“norops” = “brilliant” or “shimmering”).

features

Norops species are small lizards and reach head-trunk lengths of 3.5 to 10.8 cm. In addition there is the long tail whose length can be several times the length of the head and torso. Females often stay a little smaller than males. However, many species show no sexual dimorphism . Norops species are usually brownish or greyish in color, less often green.

The monophyly of the genus is supported by 57 apomorphies , 48 of which are molecular biological and 9 morphological .

The morphological include the parietal eye in the parietal bone , the T-shaped interclavicle, a bone that connects the actual clavicle to the breastbone (sternum), 3 or 4 lumbar vertebrae and 6 or 7, less often 8 caudal vertebrae in front of the first vertebra capable of autotomy . Their transverse processes fork in the vertical plane. The nasal bone overlaps the side edge of the premaxillary . The splenial bone, a small bone in the lower jaw of amphibians and reptiles, is usually absent. The lower jaw of the males is usually not ornamented. Palatine teeth are missing. The mean number of ventral scales is increased to 5% of the head-trunk length.

distribution

Species of the genus Norops are found in Mexico, Central America, the Greater and Lesser Antilles , the Bahamas , the Turks and Caicos Islands , the Cayman Islands , Navassa and in South America from Colombia , Venezuela and the three Guayanas across the Amazon basin to Ecuador , in northern Peru , northern Paraguay and south to the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. They also occur on various islands off South America in the north ( Isla Margarita , Curaçao , Bonaire , La Blanquilla ) and on Malpelo and Gorgona in the eastern Pacific.

species

The genus includes 175 species, one of which is only known from fossils . The species are divided into three species groups, the 18 species Norops sagrei species group in Cuba and the Bahamas, the Norops valencienni species group with 7 species in Jamaica and Grand Cayman and the species-rich, 150 species Norops auratus species group throughout the rest of the distribution area .

Norops sagrei
Norops Garmani
Norops grahami
Norops biporcatus
Norops crassulus
Norops mariarum
Norops ortonii
Norops poecilopus
Norops polylepis
Norops tropidonotus

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gunther Köhler: A revision of the Central American species related to Anolis pentaprion with the resurrection of A. beckeri and the description of a new species (Squamata: Polychrotidae). Zootaxa, 2354, pp. 1-18, 2010
  2. ↑ Kirsten E. Nicholson & Gunther Köhler: A new species of the genus Norops from Darién, Panama, with comments on N. sulcifrons (Cope 1899) (Reptilia, Squamata, Dactyloidae) . Zootaxa, 3895, 2, pp. 225-237, 2014 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3895.2.5

literature

Web links

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