''Enyalius leechii'', also known
commonly as Leech's fathead anole and ''camaleãozinho'' in Brazilian Portuguese, 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 ...
Leiosauridae
Leiosauridae is a Family (biology), family of iguanian lizards containing six genera and 34 species. The family is Endemism, endemic to Central America and South America.
Taxonomy
A 2022 phylogenetic study found the Leiosauridae to be the sist ...
.
The species 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
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
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 ...
, ''leechii'', was chosen by
Boulenger to honor English entomologist
John Henry Leech
John Henry Leech (5 December 1862 – 29 December 1900, Hurdcott House, Salisbury) was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera.
Leech was born of John and Elizabeth (née Ashworth) Leech in Bank Hall, near Preston, ...
.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Leech, p. 154).]
Description
The maximum recorded
snout-to-vent length (SVL) of ''E. leechii'' is for a male, and for a female.
Geographic range
''E. leechii'' is found in the Brazilian states of
Maranhão
Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...
,
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
,
Pará
Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
, and
Rondônia
Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west,
Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...
.
Habitat
The preferred 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 ...
of ''E. leechii'' is
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
.
Diet
''E. leechii''
preys upon termites and caterpillars.
References
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ'' .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (''Enyalioides leechii'', new species, p. 473).
*
Etheridge R (1969). "A review of the iguanid lizard genus ''Enyalius'' ". ''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology'' 18 (8): 231–260. (''Enyalius leechii'', new combination, pp. 253–254, Figure 8).
*
Vitt LJ,
Ávila-Pires TCS,
Zani PA (1996). "Observations on the ecology of the rare Amazonian lizard, ''Enyalius leechii'' (Polychrotidae)". ''Herpetological Natural History'' 4: 77–82.
Enyalius
Reptiles described in 1885
Lizards of Brazil
Endemic reptiles of Brazil
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
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