Panolopus curtissi explained

Panolopus curtissi, also known commonly as Curtiss' galliwasp, Curtis's galliwasp, and the Hispaniolan khaki galliwasp, is a species of lizard in the family Diploglossidae endemic to the island of Hispaniola and surrounding islets.^[1]

Taxonomy

It was formerly classified in the genus Celestus, but was moved to Panolopus in 2021.^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, curtissi, is in honor of American naturalist Anthony Curtiss.^[3]

Geographic range

P. curtissi is found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. curtissi is dry forest, at altitudes from sea level to 550m (1,800feet).

Description

Small for its genus, P. curtissi has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of less than 9cm (04inches) as an adult.

Reproduction

P. curtissi is viviparous (ovoviviparous). Litter size is 2–5.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Panolopus curtissi aporus
• Panolopus curtissi curtissi
• Panolopus curtissi diastatus
• Panolopus curtissi hylonomus

Further reading

• Grant C (1951). "The Specific Characters of the Celesti, with the Description of a New Species of Celestus (Sauria, Anguidae)". Copeia 1951 (1): 67–69. (Celestus curtissi, new species).
• Schools M, Hedges SB (2021). "Phylogenetics, classification, and biogeography of the Neotropical forest lizards (Squamata, Diploglossidae)". Zootaxa 4974 (2): 201–257. (Panolopus curtissi, new combination).
• Schwartz A (1964). "Diploglossus costatus Cope (Sauria: Anguidae) and its relatives in Hispaniola". Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Scientific Publications (13): 1–57. (Diploglossus curtissi, new combination, p. 39; D. c. aporus, new subspecies, p. 45; D. c. diastatus, new subspecies, p. 42; D. c. hylonomus, new subspecies, p. 49).
• Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (Celestus curtissi, p. 371).
• Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Diploglossus curtissi, pp. 117–118).

Notes and References

1. Web site: Panolopus curtissi . 2022-08-02 . The Reptile Database.
2. Schools . Molly . Hedges . S. Blair . 2021-05-20 . Phylogenetics, classification, and biogeography of the Neotropical forest lizards (Squamata, Diploglossidae) . Zootaxa . 4974 . 2 . 201–257 . 10.11646/zootaxa.4974.2.1 . 34186858 . 235687219 . 1175-5334.
3. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]