Cnemidophorus Gularis
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''Cnemidophorus'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
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 ...
s 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 ...
Teiidae Teiidae is a family of lacertoidean 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 Gymnophthalmidae, Gymnopthalmidae, and ...
.
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), ...
in the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. The genus is native to
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
,
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, and the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
.


Taxonomy

Reeder et al. (2002) re-examined the
nomenclature Nomenclature (, ) is a system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. (The theoretical field studying nomenclature is sometimes referred to as ''onymology'' or ''taxonymy'' ). The principl ...
for the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' (''
sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
'') and split it into the two
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
''
Aspidoscelis ''Aspidoscelis'' is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae. Taxonomy The nomenclature for the genus ''Aspidoscelis'' was published by T.W. Reeder et al. in 2002. Many species that were formerly included in the genus '' Cnemidophorus ...
'' and ''Cnemidophorus'' (''
sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
''). A further split by Harvey et al. (2012) added the genera ''
Ameivula ''Ameivula'' is a genus of lizards in the Family (biology), family Teiidae. The genus is Endemism, endemic to South America. Many species in the genus ''Ameivula'' were previously listed in the genus ''Cnemidophorus''. Species The following 11 s ...
'' and ''
Contomastix ''Contomastix'' is a genus of lizards in the Family (biology), family Teiidae. The genus is Endemism, endemic to South America. Species The genus ''Contomastix'' contains the following six species which are recognized as being valid, listed alph ...
''.


Etymology

The name ''Cnemidophorus'' literally means "
greave A greave (from the Old French ''greve'' "shin, shin armor") or jambeau is a piece of armor that protects the human leg, leg. Description The primary purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from attack. The tibia, or shinbone, is very close to ...
-wearing", from the Ancient Greek ' (
combining form Neoclassical compounds are compound words composed from combining forms (which act as affixes or stems) derived from classical languages (classical Latin or ancient Greek) roots. Neo-Latin comprises many such words and is a substantial componen ...
of ', "greave", a leg armor) and ' ("bearer").


Reproduction

In some of the ''Cnemidophorus''
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), ...
, there are no males, and they reproduce through
parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertiliz ...
. This is well known in
bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
s and
aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...
, but is very rare in
vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...
s. Those species without males are now known to originate through hybridization, or interspecific breeding. Occasionally, a mating between a female of one species and a male of another produces a parthenogen, a female that is able to produce viable eggs that are genetically identical to her own cells. The lizards that hatch from these eggs are thus also parthenogens that can again produce identical
eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...
, resulting in an asexual, clonal population. Parthenogenetic species resulting from a single hybridization are diploid (that is, they have two sets of chromosomes just as sexual species do), but sometimes these females mate with other males, producing offspring which are triploid (that is, they have three sets of chromosomes, or 50% more than equivalent sexual species; see
polyploidy Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than two paired sets of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two complete sets of chromosomes, one fro ...
). Over 30% of the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' are parthenogenic.


Species

The genus ''Cnemidophorus'' (''sensu stricto'') contains the following species which are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org. *''
Cnemidophorus arenivagus ''Cnemidophorus arenivagus'' is a species of teiid lizard found in Venezuela. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q2980942 arenivagus Reptiles described in 1997 Taxa named by Allan L. Markezich Taxa named by Charles J. Cole Taxa named by Herber ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus arubensis ''Cnemidophorus arubensis'', commonly known as the Aruba whiptail or ''cododo,'' is a species of whiptail lizard in the genus ''Cnemidophorus''. The female and young lizards are known as (English: Lizard), while the mature males are called (Eng ...
'' – Aruba whiptail *''
Cnemidophorus cryptus ''Cnemidophorus cryptus'', the cryptic racerunner, is a species of teiid lizard found in Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname, and French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas departme ...
'' – cryptic racerunner *'' Cnemidophorus duellmani'' *''
Cnemidophorus espeuti ''Cnemidophorus'' is a genus of lizards in the family Teiidae. Species in the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. The genus is native to South America, Central America, and the West Indies. Tax ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus flavissimus ''Cnemidophorus flavissimus'' is a species of teiid lizard found on Islas Los Frailes in Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continent ...
'' *'' Cnemidophorus gaigei'' – Gaige's rainbow lizard *'' Cnemidophorus gramivagus'' *''
Cnemidophorus lemniscatus The rainbow whiptail (''Cnemidophorus lemniscatus'') is a species of lizard found in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It has also been introduced in Florida and has established populations there. A rainbow whiptail grow ...
'' – rainbow whiptail *'' Cnemidophorus leucopsammus'' *''
Cnemidophorus murinus ''Cnemidophorus murinus'', known Common name, commonly as Laurenti's whiptail, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Teiidae (whiptails). The species is Endemism, endemic to Curacao, and is Oviparity, oviparous. References Fu ...
'' – Laurent's whiptail *''
Cnemidophorus nigricolor ''Cnemidophorus nigricolor'' is a species of Teiidae, teiid lizard endemic to Venezuela. References

Cnemidophorus, nigricolor Reptiles of Venezuela Endemic fauna of Venezuela Reptiles described in 1873 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{Tei ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus pseudolemniscatus ''Cnemidophorus pseudolemniscatus'', Coles' racerunner, is a species of teiid lizard found in Suriname and French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region o ...
'' – Cole's racerunner *''
Cnemidophorus rostralis ''Cnemidophorus'' is a genus of lizards in the family Teiidae. Species in the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. The genus is native to South America, Central America, and the West Indies. Tax ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus ruatanus ''Cnemidophorus ruatanus'' is a species of teiid lizard found in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus ruthveni ''Cnemidophorus ruthveni'', the Bonaire whiptail, is a species of lizard belonging to the Family (biology), family Teiidae, which includes the Whiptail Lizard, whiptails and related species. This lizard is endemic to Bonaire. It was formerly cons ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus senectus ''Cnemidophorus senectus'' is a species of teiid lizard endemic to Venezuela. References senectus In Greek mythology, Geras () is the god of ageing, old age. He was typically depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite wa ...
'' *''
Cnemidophorus splendidus ''Cnemidophorus splendidus'', the blue rainbow lizard, is a species of teiid lizard found in Venezuela. References splendidus Reptiles of Venezuela Endemic fauna of Venezuela Reptiles described in 1997 Taxa named by Allan L. Markezich ...
'' – blue rainbow lizard *'' Cnemidophorus vanzoi'' – Saint Lucia whiptail, Vanzo's whiptail ''
Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A
binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Cnemidophorus''.


See also

* ''
Aspidoscelis ''Aspidoscelis'' is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae. Taxonomy The nomenclature for the genus ''Aspidoscelis'' was published by T.W. Reeder et al. in 2002. Many species that were formerly included in the genus '' Cnemidophorus ...
'' * ''
Darevskia ''Darevskia'' is a genus of wall lizards of the family (biology), family Lacertidae. Member species are native to the Caucasus, Iran and Turkey, living in forest and grassy habitats with numerous rock outcrops. Among rock lizards, seven parthenog ...
'', another lizard genus containing several parthenogenic species.


References

3. “Western Whiptail Lizard.” Whiptail Lizard - Desert Wildlife, digital-desert.com/wildlife/whiptail-lizard.html


Further reading

* Harvey, Michael B.; Ugueto, Gabriel N.; Gutberlet, Ronald L. Jr. (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". ''Zootaxa'' 3459: 1–156. * Wagler J (1830). ''Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie''. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (''Cnemidophorus'', new genus, p. 154). (in German and Latin).


External links


''Cnemidophorus deppei'' and other lizards of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
* Reeder, Tod W.; Dessauer, Herbert C.; Cole, Charles J. (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

{{Authority control Cnemidophorus, Lizard genera Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler