Latastia boscai explained

Latastia boscai, also known commonly as the Eritrea longtail lizard or Bosca's long-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to East Africa and the Horn of Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, boscai, is in honor of Spanish herpetologist Eduardo Boscá y Casanoves.^[1] The subspecific name, burii, is in honor of British naturalist George Wyman Bury.^[2]

Geographic range

L. boscai is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of L. boscai are desert, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1700m (5,600feet).

Reproduction

L. boscai is oviparous.

Subspecies

The following three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Latastia boscai arenicola
• Latastia boscai boscai
• Latastia boscai burii

Further reading

• Bedriaga J (1884). "Die neue Lacertiden-Gattung Latastia und ihre Arten (L. Doriai n. sp., var. Martensi m., Samharica Blanf. und Boscai n. sp.)". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova 20: 307–324. (Latastia boscai, new species, pp. 322–324). (in German).
• Lanza B (1990). "Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: check list and biogeography". Biogeographia 14: 407–465. (Latastia boscai, p. 426).
• Largen MJ, Spawls S (2010). Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopea and Eritrea. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 694 pp. . (Latastia boscai, p. 352).
• Parker HW (1942). "The Lizards of British Somaliland". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College 91: 1–101. (Latastia boscai arenicola, new subspecies, pp. 71–72).

Notes and References

1. [Richard Allen "Bo" Crombet-Beolens|Beolens B]
2. [George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger GA]