Oplurus saxicola
| Oplurus saxicola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opulus saxicola with tail twice as long as body in Tsimanampetsotsa National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Opluridae |
| Genus: | Oplurus |
| Species: | O. saxicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Oplurus saxicola (Grandidier, 1869) | |
Oplurus saxicola (marked Madagascar swift) is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana. The name of this species, saxicola, comes from the Latin saxum, meaning stone or rock, as they live within that environment.
Description
Extremely depressed reddish-green body, with marked spots. White abdomen. Large throat. Eyes very large, of triangular form. The scales of the forefeet are webbed; the thighs of rear legs are muscular. Scales on the neck are of similar dimensions to those on the back.[2]
Distribution
The marked Madagascar swift is endemic to the province of Toliara in south-west Madagascar.
References
- ↑ Vences, M. (2011). "Oplurus saxicola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011 e.T172910A6940186. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T172910A6940186.en. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ↑ Grandidier, Alfred. "Descriptions de quelques animaux nouveaux découverts, pendant l'année 1869, sur la côte ouest de Madagascar". Revue et Magazine de Zoologie (Paris). ser. 2 (in French). 21: 337–342. Retrieved 10 September 2014.