Key tegu explained

The Key tegu (Echinosaura keyi) is a species of lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. The species is endemic to Ecuador.

Taxonomy

Echinosaura keyi was formerly known as Teuchocercus keyi, and was the type species of the genus Teuchocercus,^[1] but the genus Teuchocercus is no longer recognized.

Etymology

The specific name, keyi, is in honor of American physician and amateur herpetologist George Key (1942-1999).^[2]

Geographic range

The Key tegu is only found in Ecuador with records from Esmeraldas and Pichincha.

Further reading

• Torres-Carvajal, Omar; Lobos, Simón E.; Venegas, Pablo J.; Chávez, Germán; Aguirre-Peñafiel, Vanessa; Zurita, Daniel; Echevarría, Lourdes Y. (2016). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the most diverse clade of South American gymnophthalmid lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 99: 63-75. (Echinosaura keyi, new combination).

Notes and References

1. [Thomas H. Fritts|Fritts TH]
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Teuchocercus keyi, p. 140).