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Ichnotropis capensis (SMITH, 1838)

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Higher TaxaLacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesIchnotropis capensis capensis (A. SMITH 1838)
Ichnotropis capensis nigrescens LAURENT 1952 
Common NamesE: Ornate Rough-scaled Lizard, Cape Rough-scaled Lizard, Smith's Rough-scaled Sand Lizard 
SynonymAlgyra capensis SMITH 1838
Tropidosaura Dumerelii SMITH 1849
Ichnotropis macrolepidot[a] PETERS 1854: 617
Ichnotropis Dumerilii — BOCAGE 1866: 43
Ichnotropis capensis — BOULENGER 1897: 276
Ichnotropis longipes BOULENGER 1902: 17 (fide LOVERIDGE 1953: 150)
Ichnotropis overlaeti WITTE & LAURENT 1942: 173 (fide LOVERIDGE 1953)
Ichnotropis longipes — WITTE & LAURENT 1942: 176
Ichnotropis capensis longipes — FITZSIMONS 1943: 354
Ichnotropis capensis longipes — FITZSIMONS 1943: 352
Ichnotropis capensis overlaeti — LAURENT 1950
Ichnotropis capensis capensis — LAURENT 1952: 202
Ichnotropis capensis overlaeti — LAURENT 1952
Ichnotropis capensis — LOVERIDGE 1953
Ichnotropis overlaeti — WITTE 1953
Ichnotropis capensis overlaeti — LAURENT 1964
Ichnotropis capensis — AUERBACH 1987: 131
Ichnotropis capensis — HAAGNER et al. 2000
Ichnotropis capensis — EDWARDS et al. 2013
Ichnotropis capensis capensis — MARQUES et al. 2018
Ichnotropis capensis overlaeti — MARQUES et al. 2018

Ichnotropis capensis nigrescens LAURENT 1952
Ichnotropis capensis nigrescens LAURENT 1952: 201
Ichnotropis capensis nigrescens — BERG 2017 
DistributionDemocratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Republic of South Africa

Type locality: “Sandy deserts around Latakoo, i.e. Kuruman”  
ReproductionIchnotropis capensis is an 'annual' species, eggs being laid in November or December and hatching in January/March. Few adults survive into their second year (Broadley 1967b, 1974). 
TypesHolotype: lost, formerly BMNH (fide Boulenger 1921: 188)
Holotype: lost (fide FITZSIMONS 1943), collector A. Smith, N.E. of Lattaku, towards the tropic of Capricorn (BOULENGER 1887) [Tropidosaura dumerilii]
Holotype: RMCA (= MRAC) (was RGMC) 14671 [nigrescens]
Holotype: RMCA (= MRAC) 9691 (collector F.G. Overlaet) [overlaeti] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): FitzSimons (1943); not modified by EDWARDS et al. 2013 who removed Ichnotropis squamulosa (and placed it in Meroles). 
CommentSynonymy: The name was originally printed as “macrolepidot” in PETERS 1854, but later corrected to “microlepidota” by PETERS 1854. Thermophilus FITZINGER 1843 was proposed to be suppressed by Branch & Broadley 1985. According to Berg 2017 Thermophilus capensis is a synonym of Tropidosaura.

Distribution: Not listed for Tanzania by BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991.

Type species: Ichnotropis macrolepidota (Peters 1854) [= I. capensis (Smith 1838)] is the type species of the genus Ichnotropis PETERS 1854. 
EtymologyNamed after its occurrence in the South African Cape region.

The genus has been named after the Greek “ichnos” (= track, footprint) and the verb ichneuo (= tracking, finding). The noun Τροπις = tropis, means “the keel of a ship”. The gender of the genus is feminine. 
References
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