Cnemidophorus ruthveni
| Cnemidophorus ruthveni | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertoidea |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Cnemidophorus |
| Species: | C. ruthveni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cnemidophorus ruthveni Burt, 1935
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Cnemidophorus ruthveni, the Bonaire whiptail, is a species of lizard belonging to the family Teiidae, which includes the whiptails and related species. This lizard is endemic to Bonaire. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Cnemidophorus murinus, commonly known as Laurenti's whiptail, but that name is now restricted to the form found on the island of Curacao.
Taxonomy
[edit]Cnemidophorus ruthveni was first forally described as Cnemidophorus murinus ruthveni in 1935 by the American herpetologist Charles Earle Burt with its type locality given as Seroe Grandi on Bonaire.[3] The genus Cnemidoporus was circumscribed by Johann Georg Wagler in 1830 and Seps murinus was designated as its type species by Leopold Fitzinger in 1834.[4] The genus Cnemidophorus belongs to the subfamily Teiinae of the family Teiidae.[2] This species was considered to be a subspecies of the type species, but in 2010 it was recognised as a valid species within the lemniscatus species complex,[5] although other authors have classified C. murinus and C. ruthveni as a separted species complex from lemniscatus, the murinus species complex.[6]
Etymology
[edit]Cnemidophorus ruthveni is classified within the gneus Cnemidophorus, this name is New Latin and derives from the Greek knēmidophoros, meaning "wearer of greaves".[7] The specific name honours Alexander G. Ruthven, an American herpetologist to recognise his contributions to herpetology in America.[3]
Description
[edit]Cnemidophorus ruthveni is a alrge member of its genus with a maximum snout-vent length in excess of 151 mm (5.9 in) in males. The males have a dark grey to blackish head, neack and the front part of the back that becomes browner and paler towards the rear. The sides of the head and the body are marked with large white or light blue spots and the sides of the tail and the feet are blue. The females are uniformly brown in colour and may have some faint stripes or spots.[6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Cnemidophorus ruthveni is endemicto the special municipality of the Caribbean Netherlands, Bonaire. Here it occurs on the main island and on Klein Bonaire. It is found in arid woodland and scrub, it can often befound around habiatation taking advantage of additional food sourced such as poultry feed.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b van Buurt, G. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cnemidophorus ruthveni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T50012123A115403496. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T50012123A50012137.en. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ a b Pholidoscelis erythrocephalus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b Burt, Charles E. (1935). "A new lizard from the Dutch Leeward Islands (Cnemidophorus murinus ruthveni)" (PDF). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. 324: 1–3.
- ^ Goicoechea, Noemí; Frost, Darrel R.; De la Riva, Ignacio; Pellegrino, Katia C. M.; Sites, Jack; Rodrigues, Miguel T.; Padial, José M. (December 2016). "Molecular systematics of teioid lizards (Teioidea/Gymnophthalmoidea: Squamata) based on the analysis of 48 loci under tree-alignment and similarity-alignment". Cladistics. 32 (6): 624–671. doi:10.1111/cla.12150. PMID 34727678.
- ^ Ugueto, Gabriel N. and Michael B. Harvey (2010). "Southern Caribbean Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae): Description of New Species and Taxonomic Status of C. murinus ruthveni Burt". Herpetological Monographs. 24 (1): 111–148. doi:10.2307/41058257.
- ^ a b Harvey, Michael B.; Gabriel N. Ugueto & Ronal L. Gutberlet, Jr. (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". Zootaxa. 3459: 1–156.
- ^ "Cnemidophorus noun". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 July 2025.