Adolfus
Adolfus africanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Subfamily: Lacertinae
Genus: Adolfus
Sternfeld, 1912[1]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adolfus.
Male of Adolfus jacksoni
Male of Adolfus africanus

Adolfus is a genus of lizards of the family Lacertidae. The genus is endemic to subsaharan Africa.[2][3]

Etymology

The generic name, Adolfus, is in honor of German explorer Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg.[4]

Description

Adolfus are typically relatively large lacertids measuring 55–84 mm (2.2–3.3 in) in snout–vent length (SVL),[3] except for the much smaller Adolfus masavaensis measuring only 39–56 mm (1.5–2.2 in).[5] The tail is cylindrical, without lateral fringes, and relatively long, about 1.7–2 times SVL. There is no sexual dimorphism. Based on Adolfus jacksoni, the clutch size is 3–5 eggs.[3]

Habitat

Adolfus inhabit forest, forest clearings, and grasslands. A. jacksoni inhabits also urban environments. Adolfus alleni has been recorded as high as 4,500 m (14,800 ft) above sea level.[3]

Species

The following 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 Adolfus.

References

  1. ^ "Lacertidae". DahmsTierleben. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Adolfus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Greenbaum, Eli; Villanueva, Cesar O.; Kusamba, Chifundera; Aristote, Mwenebatu M. & Branch, William R. (2011). "A molecular phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the description of a new genus and species from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (3): 913–942. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00732.x. PMC 3222588. PMID 22121299.
  4. ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Genus Adolfus, p. 2).
  5. ^ Wagner, P.; Greenbaum, E.; Malonza, P. & Branch, B. (2014). "Resolving sky island speciation in populations of East African Adolfus alleni (Sauria, Lacertidae)". Salamandra. 50 (1): 1–17.

Further reading

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