Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard
Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–Recent
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Lacertidae |
Genus: | Gallotia |
Species: | G. simonyi |
Subspecies: | †G. s. simonyi
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Trinomial name | |
†Gallotia simonyi simonyi (
Steindachner , 1889) |
The Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi simonyi) is the
Description
Preserved male specimens measure between 223 and 236 mm long, excluding the tail, and females between 174 and 197 mm. Compared to the extant subspecies from the mainland (G. s. machadoi), the subspecies from Roque Chico de Salmor was larger and more robust, with the top of the head more triangular and less oval, more depressed head, and on average, more dorsal scales, fewer temporal scales, more femoral pores, and more scales on the sixth ring of the tail. Mitochondrial DNA studies suggest that the two subspecies separated recently, as a result of rising sea levels at the end of the Pleistocene.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Roque Chico de Salmor is a small islet situated 830
Discovery
Despite being hunted by the
In 1799,
Extinction
News of the discovery instantly caught the attention of naturalists, adventurers, and collectionists, who traveled to Roque Chico de Salmor to catch their own specimens.
The species Gallotia simonyi, then considered a monotypic taxon, was believed extinct until the subspecies G. s. machadoi was discovered in the Crag of Tibataje in 1975.[1] In 1999, 36 members of this subspecies were introduced successfully to Roque Chico de Salmor, exhibiting low mortality and signs of reproduction.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Mateo, J. A., Barone, R., Hernández-Acosta, C. N., & López-Jurado, L. F. (2020) La muerte anunciada de dos gigantes macaronésicos: el gran escinco caboverdiano, Chioninia coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839) y el lagarto de Salmor, Gallotia simonyi (Steindachner, 1889). Bol. Asoc. Herpetol. Esp. Vol. 31 (2), pgs. 3-30.
- ^ a b c d Salvador, A. (2015) Lagarto gigante de El Hierro – Gallotia simonyi. In: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Salvador, A., Marco, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/
- ^ Salvador, A. (2015) Lagarto gigante de El Hierro – Gallotia simonyi. In: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Salvador, A., Marco, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/
Further bibliography
- Blanco, Juan Carlos & González, José Luis (eds.) (1992): Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España. ICONA, Madrid.
- Böhme, W. & Bings, Werner (1975): Zur Frage des Überlebens von Lacerta s. simonyi Steindachner. Salamandra 11(1): 39–46. [Article in German]
- Diaz, Carlos Naeslund & Bischoff, Wolfgang (1994): Studien am Roque Chico de Salmor bei El Hierro (Kanaren): 1. Mögliche Ursachen für das Aussterben von Gallotia simonyi, 2. Die Artzugehörigkeit seiner Geckos (Tarentola). Salamandra 30(4): 246–253. [Article in German] HTML abstract
- European Environment Agency (2006): European Nature Information System (EUNIS): Species Factsheet: Gallotia simonyi simonyi. Downloaded on 24 Feb 2007.
- Maas, Peter H.J. (2006): The Extinction Website: Extinctions in Europe. Downloaded on 18 May 2006.
- Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Gallotia simonyi". doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T8881A12935900.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.) Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is critically endangered
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External links
- lacerta.de: Gallotia simonyi machadoi image gallery Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Contains several good photos of habitat on Roque Chico de Salmor. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25.