''Acanthodactylus ahmaddisii'', also known
commonly as the Jordanian fringe-fingered lizard, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Lacertidae
The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found ...
.
Geographic range
''A. ahmaddisii'' is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Jordan.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''ahmaddisii'', is in honor of Jordanian
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
Ahmad M. Disi.
Habitat
The natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s of ''A. ahmaddisii'' are subtropical or tropical dry
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
.
Conservation status
The Jordanian fringe-fingered lizard is threatened by
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
.
Taxonomy
''A. ahmaddisii'' was first described in 2004 by Israeli herpetologist
Yehudah L. Werner.
[ Werner YL (2004)]
"A new species of the ''Acanthodactylus pardalis'' group (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from Jordan".
''Zoology in the Middle East'' 32: 39-45.
References
Further reading
*
Schlüter U (2009). "''Fransenfingereidechsen'' (Acanthodactylus) ''in der Natur und im Terrarium. Teil 4. Die'' Acanthodactylus-pardalis-''Gruppe''". ''Reptilia, Münster'' 14 (76): 52–60. (in German).
*
Sindaco R,
Jeremčenko VK (2008). ''The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia''. (Monographs of the ''Societas Herpetologica Italica''). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. .
Acanthodactylus
Reptiles described in 2004
Endemic fauna of Jordan
Taxa named by Yehudah L. Werner
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{lacertidae-stub