Ophisops jerdonii

Ophisops jerdonii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Ophisops
Species: O. jerdonii
Binomial name
Ophisops jerdonii
(Blyth, 1853)
Synonyms
  • Ophiops jerdoni
    Blyth, 1853
  • Tropidosaura jerdoni
    — Theobald, 1868
  • Pseudophiops jerdoni
    — Jerdon, 1870
  • Ophiops jerdonii
    Boulenger, 1887 [1]
  • Ophisops jerdoni
    — M.A. Smith, 1935 [2]
  • Ophisops jerdonii
    — Sindaco & Jeremčenko, 2008 [3]

Ophisops jerdonii, commonly known as Jerdon's snake-eye, is a species of lacertid lizard, which is distributed in east Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Etymology

The specific name, jerdonii, is in honor of British biologist Thomas C. Jerdon.[4]

Description

Head moderate, feebly depressed. Upper head-shields rugose, keeled and striated; nostril lateral, pierced between 3 or 4 shields, viz. an anterior, or an upper and a lower anterior nasal and two superposed postnasals ; a large frontonasal; frequently one or two small azygos shields between the pair of prefrontals; four supraoculars, first and fourth small, the two principal separated from the supraciliaries by a series of granules; occipital small, sometimes a little broader than the interparietal, with which it forms a suture; subocular bordering the lip, between the fourth and fifth (or third and fourth) upper labials; temporal scales small, keeled; one or two large subtemporal shields border the parietals externally; tympanic shield small or indistinct. No gular fold extending from ear to ear; collar quite indistinct. Dorsal scales large, strongly keeled, much imbricate, scarcely larger on the back than on the sides; 28 to 35 scales round the middle of the body (ventrals included). A large postero-median preanal plate. The hind limb reaches the shoulder or halfway between the latter and the ear in the male, not to axilla in the female; 7 to 11 femoral pores on each side. Tail once and a half to twice as long as head and body; caudal scales about as large as dorsals. Coppery-brown above, with two pale golden lateral streaks bordered with black, the upper extending from the supraciliaries to the tail, the lower from the upper lip to the groin; frequently a series of large black spots between the two lateral streaks; lower surfaces yellowish white.[5]

From snout to vent 1.65 inches (42 mm); tail 3.2 inches (81 mm).[5]

Central India (Saugor, Mhow), N.W. Provinces (Agra), Punjab, Sind, Madras Presidency (Bellary).[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Boulenger GA. 1887. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Ophiops jerdonii, pp. 73-74).
  2. ↑ 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. (Ophisops jerdoni, pp. 377-378).
  3. ↑ "Ophisops jerdonii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Ophisops jerdonii, p. 134).
  5. 1 2 3 Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Ophiops jerdonii, p. 174).

References


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