Abronia gadovii


Abronia gadovii, also known commonly as Gadow's alligator lizard and el escorpión de Gadow in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the highlands of the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico. Two subspecies are recognized:

Etymology

The specific name, gadovii, is in honor of German ornithologist Hans Friedrich Gadow.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of A. gadovii is forest, including second-growth forest.

Description

A. gadovii may attain a snout-to-vent length of about, plus a tail length of about.

Diet

A. gadovii preys predominately upon insects, and is known to also devour small lizards.

Reproduction

A. gadovii is ovoviviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid including the nominotypical subspecies.
  • Abronia gadovii gadoviiGuerrero
  • Abronia gadovii levigataOaxaca
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Abronia.