Potamites strangulatus (COPE, 1868)
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Potamites strangulatus
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| Higher Taxa | Gymnophthalmidae (Cercosaurinae), Sauria, Gymnophthalmoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Big-scaled Neusticurus |
| Synonym | Euspondylus strangulatus COPE 1868: 99 Euspondilus Festae PERACCA 1897: 10 Neusticurus strangulatus — UZZELL 1961 Neusticurus festae — UZZELL 1961 Neusticurus strangulatus strangulatus — UZZELL 1966: 302 Neusticurus strangulatus — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 207 Neusticurus strangulatus — CASTOE et al. 2004 Potamites strangulatus — DOAN & CASTOE 2005 Neusticurus strangulatus trachodus UZZELL 1966 Neusticurus strangulatus trachodus — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970 Neusticurus strangulatus trachodus — SHERBROOKE & COLE 1972 Potamites strangulatus trachodus — DOAN & CASTOE 2005 (by implication) Potamites (Neusticurus) trachodus — TORRES-CARVAJAL et al. 2016 Potamites trachodus — CHÁVEZ et al. 2021 |
| Distribution | Ecuador, Peru (Amazonian slopes of Andes) Type locality: Ecuador (according to UZZELL 1966 probably either between Papallacta and Napo, or along Río Napo, before it joins Río Marañón, in Ecuador or Peru.) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: ANSP 7538 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Potamites differs from members of subfamily Alopoglossinae by having its tongue covered in imbricate, scale-like papillae instead of oblique plicae (Harris, 14), from subfamily Gymnophthalminae by having moveable eyelids, from subfamily Rhachisaurinae by having external ear openings and from sub-family Ecpleopinae by having heterogeneous dorsal scalation. Within subfamily Cercosaurinae (sensu Castoe et al., 2004), Potamites differs from all genera except Echinosaura, Neusticurus, and Teuchocercus by having heterogeneous dorsal scalation. It differs from Echinosaura by lacking basal spines on the hemipenes, from Teuchocercus by lacking conical scales on the tail, and from Neusticurus (character states in parentheses) by having a slightly compressed tail (strongly compressed), subimbricate ventral scales (imbricate), and calcareous spinules on flounces of hemipenes (no spinules). |
| Comment | Synonymy after PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970. Type species: Euspondylus strangulatus COPE 1868 is the type species of the genus Potamites DOAN & CASTOE 2005. |
| Etymology | Potamites is a masculine Greek noun, meaning water finder. It refers to the fact that most members of this genus are semiaquatic, walking on the bottom of streams and often diving into streams to escape predation. |
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