Microlophus koepckeorum (MERTENS, 1956)

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Higher Taxa	Tropiduridae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names
Synonym	Tropidurus occipitalis koepckeorum MERTENS 1956: 117 Tropidurus koepckeorum — DIXON & WRIGHT 1975: 28 Plesiomicrolophus koepckeorum — FROST 1992 Microlophus koepckeorum — FROST et al. 2001 Microlophus koepckeorum — LEHR 2002: 84
Distribution	Peru (foothills along the east side of the Sechura Desert, south to the Rio Shigiay) Type locality: above Pariacoto, 1600 m elevation, Department of Ancash, Peru.
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Holotype: SMF 50337, adult male.
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: Tropidurus koepckeorum is a member of the occipitalis group and as such differs from members of the peruvianus group by having imbricate, keeled and mucronate dorsolateral body scales. It differs from occipitalis by lacking distinct occipital spots, by having distinct spots in the gular region and differing in scutellation by having more than 65 scales around midbody, rather than 60 or less, and the postmental shields are larger than the first pair of chin shields. It differs from stolzmanni in having large dumbbell-shaped spots laterally displaced along the middorsal crest and having distinct spots in the gular region, rather than lines forming chevrons, more distinct in males [DIXON & WRIGHT 1975].
Comment
Etymology	Named after Hans and Maria Koepcke, German biologists working in Peru. Hans Koepcke (died 2000) was an ecologist while his wife Maria (1924-1971) was a ornithologist who was killed from injuries in a plane crash that their daughter Juliane survived as the only survivor (Hans was not on board). Juliane’s story was recounted in Laborjournal (1-2/ 2011: 58).
References	Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here Chávez, G. & Venegas, P. 2007. Looking for Macanches in the dry forest of Peru. Reptilia (GB) (51): 54-59 - get paper here Dixon, J.R. & WRIGHT,J.W. 1975. A review of the lizards of the iguanid genus Tropidurus in Peru. Contributions in Science (Los Angeles) (271): 1-39 - get paper here Frost, Darrel R. 1992. Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of the Tropidurus group of lizards (Iguania: Tropidurudae). American Museum Novitates (3033): 1-68 - get paper here Frost, Darrel R., Miguel T. Rodrigues, Taran Grant, and Tom A. Titus 2001. Phylogenetics of the Lizard Genus Tropidurus (Squamata: Tropiduridae: Tropidurinae): Direct Optimization, Descriptive Efficiency, and Sensitivity Analysis of Congruence Between Molecular Data and Morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 21 (3): 352–371 - get paper here Goldberg, S.R. & Bursey, C.R. 2009. Helminths from seven species of Microlophus (Squamata: Tropiduridae). Salamandra 45 (2): 125-128 - get paper here HARVEY, Michael B. & RONALD L. GUTBERLET JR 2000. A phylogenetic analysis of the tropidurine lizards (Squamata: Tropiduridae), including new characters of squamation and epidermal microstructure. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 128: 189–233. - get paper here Lehr, E. 2002. Amphibien und Reptilien in Peru. Natur und Tier-Verlag (Münster), 208 pp. - get paper here Lehr, E.; Köhler, G. & Streit, B. 2002. Die Herpetofauna von Mittelperu entlang eines Transektes von der pazifischen Küste bis in die Hochanden (Amphibia et Reptilia). Faun. Abh. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 22 (2): 361-392 Mertens, R. 1956. Studien über die Herpetofauna Perus I. Zur Kenntniss der Iguaniden-Gattung Tropidurus in Peru. Senckenbergiana biologica 37: 101-136 Schlüter, U. 2000. Wüstenkielschwanzleguane aus Peru. Draco 1 (4): 44-49
External links	IUCN Red List National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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