Madagascar ringed shield lizard
| Madagascar ringed shield lizard | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Madagascar ringed shield lizard |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Zonosaurus madagascariensis | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1845 |
The Madagascar girdled lizard ( Zonosaurus madagascariensis ) is an on Madagascar occurring Schildechsen -Art. As a cultural successor , it is distributed almost all over the island of Madagascar, although its area of origin is no longer traceable here. Distributed by humans, it is also found on some Seychelles islands. The species is not considered endangered.
The species was first scientifically described in 1831 by John Edward Gray , as Cicigna madagascariensis . This type specimen is now ascribed to the species Zonosaurus ornatus , so Zonosaurus madagascariensis was only later described as Zonosaurus madagascariensis madagascariensis (Gray 1845).
Since 1985 the species has been divided into two subspecies, Zonosaurus madagascariensis madagascariensis (Madagascar, Seychelles) and Zonosaurus madagascariensis insulanus ( Glorioso and Cosmoledo islands).
The animals are up to 35 cm long. The tail can be thrown off at predetermined breaking points, but no longer grows back. Madagascar ringed shield lizards reproduce oviparously and lay around thirty eggs.
They are diurnal soil dwellers, but they also occasionally climb stones and tree stumps. Since they are insect hunters, their habitat is not severely limited. They come from the rainforest to open and dry landscapes. They love warmth and need ambient temperatures of 25 to 35 ° C. At night they bury themselves in caves they have dug themselves in order not to fall below the temperature of 23 ° C. They need a relatively high humidity averaging 80%.
literature
- John E. Gray : A Synopsis of the Species of Class Reptilia. In: Baron Cuvier : The Animal Kingdom. Arranged in Conformity with its Organization. With additional descriptions of all the species hitherto named, and of many not before noticed, by Edward Griffith , and Others. Vol. 9: Edward Griffith, Edward Pidgeon: The Class Reptilia. Whittaker, Treacher and Co., London 1831, p. 64 .
Web links
- Taxiom classification with references on reptile-database.org
- Zonosaurus madagascariensis in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Posted by: Gerlach, J., Ineich, I., Raxworthy, CJ & Raselimanana, A., 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2013.