The Key tegu (Echinosaura keyi), also known commonly as Key's teiid and la lagartija minadora tropical in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. The species is endemic to Ecuador.[2]

Key tegu
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gymnophthalmidae
Genus: Echinosaura
Species:
E. keyi
Binomial name
Echinosaura keyi
(Fritts & H.M. Smith, 1969)
Synonyms[2]
  • Teuchocercus keyi
    Fritts & H.M. Smith, 1969
  • Echinosaura keyi
    Torres-Carvajal et al., 2016

Taxonomy

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Echinosaura keyi was formerly known as Teuchocercus keyi Fritts & H.M. Smith, 1969, and was the type species of the genus Teuchocercus,[3] but the genus Teuchocercus is no longer recognized.[2]

Etymology

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The specific name, keyi, is in honor of American physician and amateur herpetologist George Key (1942–1999).[4]

Geographic range

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The Key tegu is only found in Ecuador with records from Esmeraldas and Pichincha.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of E. keyi is near streams in forest, at altitudes of 350–1,200 m (1,150–3,940 ft).[1]

Reproduction

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E. keyi is oviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Yánez-Muñoz, M. (2016). "Echinosaura keyi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T50950605A50950612. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T50950605A50950612.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Echinosaura keyi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 September 2018.
  3. ^ Fritts TH, Smith HM (1969). "A New Teiid Lizard Genus from Western Ecuador". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 72 (1): 54–59. (Teuchocercus, new genus; Teuchocercus keyi, new species).
  4. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Teuchocercus keyi, p. 140).

Further reading

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  • Torres-Carvajal O (2001). "Lizards of Ecuador: Checklist, Distribution, and Systematic References". Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service (131): 1–35. (Teuchocercus keyi, p. 14).
  • Torres-Carvajal, Omar; Lobos, Simón E.; Venegas, Pablo J.; Chávez, Germán; Aguirre-Peñafiel, Vanessa; Zurita, Daniel; Echevarría, Lourdes Y. (2016). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the most diverse clade of South American gymnophthalmid lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 99: 63–75. (Echinosaura keyi, new combination).
  • Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D (2019). "Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich online portal, with dynamic checklists and photographic guides". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1) [General Section]: 209–229 (e178). (Echinosaura keyi, p. 213, Table 1). (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).