Holaspis guentheri, also commonly known as the neon blue-tailed tree lizard, the sawtail lizard, and the western neon blue-tailed tree lizard [2] is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to portions of West Africa and Central Africa.

Holaspis guentheri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Holaspis
Species:
H. guentheri
Binomial name
Holaspis guentheri
Gray, 1863
In Ghana

Geographic range

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H. guentheri occurs in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of H. guentheri is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft).[1]

Behavior

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H. guentheri is arboreal, and can glide between trees.[1]

Diet

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H. guentheri preys upon arthropods, predominately ants.[1]

Reproduction

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H. guentheri is oviparous.[1][2] Clutch size is two eggs, which are laid beneath bark.[1]

Etymology

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The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Rödel M-O, Penner J, Wagner P (2021). "Holaspis guentheri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T13151944A13151949.en. Accessed on 19 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Species Holaspis guentheri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ 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. (Holaspis guentheri, p. 110).

Further reading

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  • Arnold EN (1989). "Systematics and adaptive radiation of Equatorial African lizards assigned to the genera Adolfus, Bedriagaia, Gastropholis, Holaspis and Lacerta (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Journal of Natural History 23: 525–555.
  • Chirio L, Ineich I (2006). "Biogeography of the reptiles of the Central African Republic". African Journal of Herpetology 55 (1): 23–59.
  • Gray JE (1863). "Descriptions of Two New Genera of Lizards (Holaspis and Poriodogaster, A. Smith, MS.)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1863: 152–155 + Plates XX–XXI. (Holaspis guentheri, new species, p. 153 + Plate XX, figure 1).
  • Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Holaspis guentheri, p. 188).