Arthrosaura Explained

Arthrosaura is a genus of spectacled lizards in the family Gymnophthalmidae.^[1]

Geographic range

Lizards in the genus Arthrosaura are native to northern South America.

Taxonomy

Within the genus Arthrosaura there appears to be two species groups: a longer-legged, short-bodied group with four supraocular scales (A. kockii, and A. testigensis); and a short-legged, gracile group with three supraoculars (A. reticulata, A. synaptolepis, A. tyleri, and A. versteegii).^[2]

Species

There are seven species which are recognized as being valid:

• Arthrosaura kockii
• Arthrosaura montigena
• Arthrosaura reticulata – yellowbelly arthrosaura
• Arthrosaura synaptolepis
• Arthrosaura testigensis
• Arthrosaura tyleri
• Arthrosaura versteegii

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Teiidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Arthrosaura, new genus, p. 389).

Notes and References

1. Hoogmoed MS, Ávila-Pires TCS. Studies on the species of the South American lizard genus Arthrosaura Boulenger (Reptilia: Sauria: Teiidae), with the resurrection of two species. Zoologische Mededelingen. 1992. 66. 453–484.
2. MacCulloch RD, Lathrop A. A new species of Arthrosaura (Sauria: Teiidae) from the highlands of Guyana. Caribbean Journal of Science. 2001. 37. 174–181.