Philochortus hardeggeri (STEINDACHNER, 1891)
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Philochortus hardeggeri
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| Higher Taxa | Lacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Hardegger's Orangetail Lizard, Hardegger's Shield-backed Lizard |
| Synonym | Latastia Hardeggeri STEINDACHNER 1891: 371 Eremias heterolepis BOETTGER 1893: 115 (fide BOULENGER 1897) Latastia heterolepis — BOETTGER 1893: 193 (emendation) Latastia Hardeggeri — BOULENGER 1897: 130 Latastia Hardeggeri — ANDERSON 1901: 145 Latastia degeni BOULENGER 1903: 55 (fide BOULENGER 1917: 154) Latastia hardeggeri — NEUMANN 1905 Latastia hardeggeri — TORNIER 1905: 375 Philochortus hardeggeri — BOULENGER 1917: 154 Philochortus hardeggeri — LOVERIDGE 1936 Philochortus hardeggeri — LANZA 1983 Philochortus hardeggeri — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 359 |
| Distribution | Somalia, Djibouti, E Ethiopia Type locality: Harar on the way from Heusa, Ethiopia; “Weg von Hensa nach Artu, Hararlande” fide TIEDEMANN et al. 1994 |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntypes: BMNH 1946.9.3.41, NMW 16810:1,2 (m.) Holotype: SMF 59441 [heterolepis] |
| Diagnosis | Description: “Charakterisch für diese Art ist, sie hat nur 5 weiße Längslinien auf dem Rücken, von denen die Mittellinie sich vorn am Kopf gabelt, während diese beiden Gabeläste sich bei der nächstverwandten Latastia neumanni erst auf dem Becken vereinigen, so daß diese Art dadurch 6-streifig wird. Ferner reichen bei dieser Art die vergrößerten Rückenschuppen von einer der durch das Auge gehenden weißen Linien bis zur andern, während sie bei Latastia neumanni von jeder derselben noch durch eine schmale Längszone von Körnerschuppen getrennt sind.” (Tornier 1905: 375). Description: Head and body rather depressed. Head about 1.5 times as long as broad, its depth equal to the distance between the anterior corner or the centre of the eye and the tympanum, its length 4.33 to 5 times in length to vent; snout pointed, as long as postocular part of head, with rather sharp canthus. Pileus 1.75 to 2 times as long as broad. Neck as broad as the head or a little narrower. Hind limb reaching the shoulder, the collar, or between the collar and the ear; foot 1.4 to 1.6 times as long as head; toes slender, compressed. Tail 2.4 to 3.25 times as long as head and body. Nostril between three shields, or separated from the upper labial and the postnasal by a narrow rim; nasals forming a suture behind the rostral, the suture 1/4 to 2/3 the length of the frontonasal, which is much broader than long, and broader than the internarial space; prefrontals forming a short median suture; frontal as long as its distance from the end of the snout or a little shorter, 1.5 to 1.66 times as long as broad, angular or rounded in front, narrower behind, distinctly grooved; parietals 1.25 to 1.33 times as long as broad, in contact with the upper postocular; interparietal extremely narrow, in contact with or narrowly separated from the very small occipital (a small shield between the interparietal and the occipital in one young specimen). Two large supraoculars, subequal or anterior the shorter, entirely surrounded by a series of granules (in one of the two type specimens described by Steindachner the circle of granules is incomplete, the supraoculars being in contact with the frontal), of which larger ones represent the first and fourth supraoculars; 5 or 6 superciliaries. Lower eyelid somewhat transparent, with feebly enlarged scales in the middle, some of which may be deeper than the others. Eostral not entering the nostril; a single postnasal; anterior loreal shorter than second; 6 upper labials anterior to the subocular, which is narrower beneath than above. A long, narrow upper temporal, followed by a shorter shield; temporal scales very small and granular above, much larger beneath; a small curved tympanic shield usually present. 4 pairs of chin-shields, first three in contact in the middle; 25 to 28 gular scales in a straight line in the middle, granular in front, gradu ally or abruptly enlarged and imbricate towards the collar; no gular fold. Collar with strongly serrated edge, composed of 7 or 8 plates. Scales granular and smooth behind the occiput, rhombic, subimbri cate, and keeled on the body; 4 or 6 series of hexagonal, strongly keeled plates along the back, 8 between the hind limbs. 24 to 28 plates and scales across the middle of the body. Ventral plates in 6 longitudinal and 27 to 30 transverse series, the border of the transverse series feebly notched between the plates, the median pair of which is narrower than the others. Preanal plates small and irregular, or one enlarged. 11 to 13 femoral pores on each side. 25 to 31 lamellar scales under the fourth toe. Caudal scales in nearly equal whorls, upper oblique, strongly and diagonally keeled, pointed and more or less distinctly mucronate behind, lower keeled, except the basals; 22 to 28 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl behind the postanal granules. Young black above with five yellowish white longitudinal streaks, the median bifurcating on the nape, the two laterals as in the preceding species; head and limbs brown above,hind limbs with round whitespots; throat and belly white, lower surface of hind limbs and tail coral-red. Adult brown above, with a more or less distinct yellow vertebral streak, bifurcating on the nape and extending some way down the tail, each of the dorsal plates with a small blackish spot; sides of body pale greyish brown, with a series of large blackish spots or bars; lower parts white (Boulenger 1921: 12). |
| Comment | Not listed in the Zoological Record of 1891 or 1892. |
| Etymology | Named after Dr. Dominik Kammel von Hardegger (1844-1915), an Austrian physician who explored Somalia and the Harar area, Ethiopia (1875), and Egypt and Nubia (1884-1885) (Beolens et al. 2011). |
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