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Meroles

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Meroles
Meroles knoxii in South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Subfamily: Lacertinae
Genus: Meroles
Gray, 1838
Species

Eight species, see text.

Meroles is a genus of lizards, commonly known as desert lizards, in the family Lacertidae. The genus contains eight species, inhabiting southwestern Africa, especially the Namib Desert.

Description

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Desert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales. The hind toes are elongated and possess fringes of scales.[1]

Species

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The following eight species are recognized as being valid.[2]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Meroles.

References

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  1. ^ Branch, Bill (1998). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (3rd ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 164–167. ISBN 1868720403.
  2. ^ Genus Meroles at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

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  • Gray JE (1838). "Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [First Series] 1: 274–283, 388–394. (Meroles, new genus, p. 282).