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Holcosus septemlineatus (DUMÉRIL, 1851)

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Higher TaxaTeiidae, Teiinae, Gymnophthalmoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Seven-lined Ameiva
S: Lagartija terrestre de cola azul 
SynonymAmeiva Septemlineata DUMÉRIL 1851: 114
Ameiva sex-scutata GÜNTHER 1859
Holcosus septemlineatus — COPE 1862: 60
Holcosus sexscutatus — COPE 1862: 60
Ameiva septemlineata — BOULENGER 1885: 346
Ameiva septemlineata — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 23
Ameiva septemlineata — CARRERA et al. 2009
Holcosus septemlineatus — HARVEY et al. 2012 
DistributionEcuador (lowlands from Guayaquil north), Colombia [Castro,F. (pers. comm.)]

Type locality: South America  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 4198 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Holcosus could only be confused with species of Ameiva and Aspidoscelis. Unlike Ameiva (characters in parentheses), species of Holcosus have a denticulate dorsolateral row of caudals (dorsolateral caudals like adjacent scales, laterally projecting mucrons absent), subarticular lamellae of hands distinctly enlarged and swollen (homogeneous), two or three large scales at the heel (scales at heel small and numerous), ventrals abruptly transitioning to scales on flanks (gradually decreasing in size in most species), and scales on flank “bristly” due to presence of large apical granules or outwardly projecting scales (not “bristly,” apical granules small). The species of Holcosus also usually have six supraoculars (eight).
Unlike Aspidoscelis, Holcosus has a tongue retractile into a basal sheath (sheath absent), heterogeneous subdigital lamellae (homogeneous, although basal lamellae are enlarged in some species), denticulate dorsolateral row of caudals (dorsolateral caudals like adjacent scales, laterally projecting mucrons absent), and the nasal suture passing through the nostril (nostril anterior to but in contact with nasal suture).


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CommentSynonymy mostly that of PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970.

Type species: Ameiva septemlineata Duméril is the type species of the genus Holcosus COPE 1862.

Group: the Holcosus septemlineatus group contains H. anomalus, Holcosus bridgesii, and Holcosus septemlineatus (fide Harvey et al. 2012). 
EtymologyCope (1862) did not discuss the derivation of Holcosus. He may have been inspired by the masculine Latin noun holcos (from Greek holkos), meaning a kind of grain. The genus name may be a reference to the many cephalic shields that have fragmented into numerous small and, therefore, grain-like keeled scales in the type species H. septemlineatus. Holcosus is a masculine noun in the nominative singular. 
References
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2, Second edition. London, xiii+497 pp. - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1862. Synopsis of the species of Holcosus and Ameiva, with diagnoses of new West Indian and South American Colubridae. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 14: 60-82. - get paper here
  • Cruz-García K, Barreno M, Cuadrado S, Moretta-Urdiales M, Molina-Moreira N, Salas JA, Torres-Domínguez Á, Narváez AE 2023. Amphibians and reptiles of Isla Santay (Durán, Ecuador). Check List 19(3): 347-369 - get paper here
  • Cuadrado, S. S., Loor, Y. A., Zambrano, R. H., & Narváez, A. E. 2023. Species Composition and Ecology of Diurnal Herpetofauna in Agroecosystems of the Ecuadorian Chocó. South American Journal of Herpetology, 29(1), 66-76
  • Duméril, A.M.C. & A. H. A. Duméril 1851. Catalogue méthodique de la collection des reptiles du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Gide et Baudry/Roret, Paris, 224 pp.
  • Günther,A. 1859. Second list of cold-blooded vertebrata collected by Mr. Fraser in the Andes of Western Ecuador. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1859: 402-422 - get paper here
  • HARVEY, MICHAEL B.; GABRIEL N. UGUETO & RONALD L. GUTBERLET, Jr. 2012. Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata). Zootaxa 3459: 1–156 - get paper here
  • Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D. 2019. Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich portal, with a dynamic checklist and photographic guides. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1): [General Section]: 209–229 (e178) - get paper here
 
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