Osteolaemus osborni
| Osteolaemus osborni | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Crocodylia |
| Family: | Crocodylidae |
| Genus: | Osteolaemus |
| Species: | O. osborni |
| Binomial name | |
| Osteolaemus osborni (Schmidt, 1919) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Osteolaemus osborni, commonly known as Osborn's dwarf crocodile and the Congo dwarf crocodile, is a species of crocodile endemic to the Congo Basin in Africa.
Taxonomy
The species Osteolaemus osborni has had a somewhat convoluted taxonomical history. It was first described as Osteoblepharon osborni by American herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt in 1919, based on a few specimens from the Upper Congo River Basin in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, American herpetologist Robert F. Inger in a 1948 paper found the specimens wanting of characteristics that would justify a generic separation from Osteolaemus and referred the specimens to Osteolaemus osborni. In 1953, it was reduced to subspecies rank by German herpetologist Heinz Wermuth,[3] but was revalidated to full species status in 2021.[2]
Description
Osteolaemus osborni is both the smallest crocodile and the smallest crocodilian since it does not surpass 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in total length (tail included).[4]
Reproduction
Etymology
The generic name, Osteolaemus, means "bony throat", and is derived from Ancient Greek όστεον (ósteon), meaning "bone", and λαιμός (laimós), meaning "throat". The genus was named as such due to the osteoderms found among the scales in the neck and belly.
The specific epithet, osborni, is in honor of American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn.[5]
References
- ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- 1 2 3 Osteolaemus osborni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 September 2021.
- ↑ Wermuth, H.; Mertens R. (1961). Schildkröten, Krokodile, Brückenechsen. Jena: Gustav Fischer Verlag. xxvi + 422 pp.
- ↑ Sprawls, S.; Howell K.; Drewes R.; Ashe J. (2002). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Academic Press. pp. 276–277. ISBN 978-0-12-656470-9.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Osteolaemus osborni, p. 196).
Further reading
- Inger, R.F. (1948). "The Systematic Status of the Crocodile Osteoblepharon osborni ". Copeia. 1948 (1): 15–19. (Osteolaemus osborni, new combination).
- Riley, John; Huchzermeyer, Fritz W. (2000). "Diet and Lung Parasites of Swamp Forest Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis osborni)". Copeia. 2000 (2): 582–586.
- Schmidt, K.P. (1919). "Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the Collection of the American Congo Expedition 1909–1915. Part I: turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and chamaeleons". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 39 (2): 385–624. (Osteoblepharon, new genus, p. 420; Osteoblepharon osborni, new species, p. 421).
- Wermuth, H. (1953). "Systematik der Rezenten Krokodile ". Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin. 29 (2): 375–514. (Osteolaemus tetraspis osborni, new taxonomic status). (in German).
