''Dopasia harti'', also known commonly as the Chinese glass lizard and Hart's glass 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), ...

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 ...

Anguidae Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. It contains 9 genera and 89 extant species. Common characteristics of this group include a reduced supratemporal arch, striations on the medial faces of t ...

. The species is native to south-eastern Asia.

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 ...

, ''harti'', is in honor of Robert Hart, who was a British customs official in China. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Ophisaurus harti'', p. 117).

Distribution

''D. harti'' is found in southern China, Taiwan, and northern Vietnam.

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 ''D. harti'' is forest, at altitudes of , but it has also been found in farmland.

Description

''D. harti'' is limbless.

Behavior

''D. harti'' is

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

and

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

Reproduction

''D. harti'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

. From June to September, the female of the species may lay a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

of 4–13 eggs under leaf litter or rocks, and then stay with the eggs to guard them.

References

* Boulenger GA (1899). "On a Collection of Reptiles and Batrachians made by Mr. J. D. La Touche in N. W. Fokien, China". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1899: 159–172 + Plates XVI–XIX. (''Ophisaurus harti'', new species, p
160
��161, Figure 1
Plate XVI
. * Conrad, Jack L.; Ast, Jennifer C.; Montanari, Shaena; Norell, Mark A. (2011). "A combined evidence phylogenetic analysis of Anguimorpha (Reptilia: Squamata)". ''Cladistics'' 27 (3): 230–277. (''Dopasia harti'', new combination). * Kishida K (1930). "Notes on a Formosan Lizard of the Family Anguidae". ''Lansania, Tokyo'' 2 (18): 124–128. (''Ophisaurus formosensis'', new species). * Smith MA (1935)
''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria.''
London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + plate I + 2 maps. (''Ophisaurus harti'', pp
394
��395). * Stejneger L (1919)
"The 'Glass-Snake' of Formosa"
''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' 32: 142. (''Ophisaurus harti)''. Dopasia Reptiles described in 1899 Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles of China Reptiles of Taiwan Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger {{lizard-stub