Acanthodactylus
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Acanthodactylus is a genus of lacertid lizards, commonly referred to as fringe-fingered lizards, fringe-toed lizards (though the latter common name is also used for the New World lizard genus Uma), and spiny-toed lizards.
Geographic range
The approximately 40 species in the genus Acanthodactylus are native to a wide area in North Africa, southern Europe and Western Asia; across the Sahara Desert, to the Iberian Peninsula, and east through the Arabian Peninsula, to Afghanistan and western India.<ref name=Salvador1982>Salvador A (1982). "A revision of the lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus (Sauria: Lacertidae)". Bonn. Zool. Monogr. (16): 1–167.</ref>
Habitat
Though lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus prefer dry and sparsely vegetated regions, they are not strictly tied to an arid terrain; so it is not uncommon to come across them in various environments.Template:Citation needed
Description
Members of the genus Acanthodactylus possess the following combination of traits:<ref name=Salvador1982/>
- Lacking occipital scales,
- Flat ventral scales,
- Fingers with three or four series of scales,
- Toes with comb-like projections,
- Femoral pores present,
- Parietal foramen present.
The coloration and pattern of spots of Acanthodactylus is extremely variable, so it is unsurprising that zoologists have, at one time or another, classified every variety as a separate species.Template:Citation needed
Behavior
Every saurian of the genus Acanthodactylus is very aggressive and gets continuously involved in skirmishes with other members of its species.Template:Citation needed The males strenuously defend the borders of their territories.Template:Citation needed
Reproduction
Acanthodactylus are oviparous. The number of eggs in a clutch ranges from 3 to 7. The total length of a sexually mature adult of the genus is, on average, Template:Convert.Template:Citation needed
Classification
Genus Acanthodactylus<ref name=RDB>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Columns-list Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Acanthodactylus.
References
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Genus Acanthodactylus, p. 58).
- Wiegmann AFA (1834). Herpetologia Mexicana, ... Pars Prima, Saurorum Species, ... Berlin: C.G. Lüderitz. vi + 54 pp. + Plates I-X. (Acanthodactylus, new genus, p. 10). (in Latin).