''Aspidoscelis rodecki'', also known
commonly as Rodeck's whiptail, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Teiidae
Teiidae is a family of autarchoglossan lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnopthalmidae, and both familie ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...
to
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
.
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 ...
, ''rodecki'', is in honor of American entomologist
Hugo George Rodeck (1903–2005).
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Aspidoscelis rodecki'', p. 224).]
Geographic range
''A. rodecki'' is found in the Mexican state of
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
.
Habitat
The natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...
of ''A. rodecki'' is the marine
intertidal zone
The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...
.
Reproduction
''A. rodecki'' is an all-female species. Reproduction is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
, by
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
*Manríquez-Morán, Norma L.; Méndez-de la Cruz, Fausto R. (2012). "Origin and clonal diversity of the parthenogenetic lizard ''Aspidoscelis rodecki'' (Squamata: Teiidae): chromosomal evidence". ''Phyllomedusa'' 11 (1): 29–36. (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).
*McCoy, Clarence J., Jr.; Maslin, T. Paul (1962). "A Review of the Teiid Lizard ''Cnemidophorus cozumelus'' and the Recognition of a New Race, ''Cnemidophorus cozumelus rodecki'' ". ''Copeia'' 1962 (3): 620–627. (''Cnemidophorus cozumelus rodecki'', new subspecies).
*Reeder, Tod W.; Cole, Charles J.; Dessauer, Herbert C. (2002). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Whiptail Lizards of the Genus ''Cnemidophorus'' (Squamata: Teiidae): A Test of Monophyly, Reevaluation of Karyotypic Evolution, and Review of Hybrid Origins". ''American Museum Novitates'' (3365): 1-61. (''Aspidoscelis rodecki'', new combination, p. 22).
rodecki
Reptiles described in 1962
Taxa named by Clarence John "Jack" McCoy
Taxa named by T. Paul Maslin
Reptiles of Mexico
{{lizard-stub