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of the real lizards, family Lacertidae
Genus:
Latastia BEDRIAGA, 1884
Species (8):
Latastia boscai BEDRIAGA, 1884
Latastia caeruleopunctata PARKER, 1935
Latastia cherchii ARILLO et al., 1967
Latastia doriai BEDRIAGA, 1884
Latastia johnstoni BOULENGER, 1907
Latastia longicaudata (REUSS, 1834)
Latastia petersiana MERTENS, 1938
Latastia taylori PARKER, 1942
Uncertain (2):
Latastia ornata MONARD, 1940
Latastia siebenrocki (TORNIER, 1905)
Species Typica:
Taxonomic notes:
The Afro-tropical genus consists of 10 nominal species and has its Radiation Center in the Horn of Africa (Somalia). The genus is scientifically poorly edited. WERNER MAYER, 2015
Relevant taxonomic literature:
Bedriaga, J. von (1884) -
Arillo, A. & Balletto, E. & Spanò, S. (1967) -
Largen, M.J. & Spawls, S. (2006) -
This review lists Agama smithii Boulenger 1896 as a synonym of Agama agama (Linnaeus 1758), Agama trachypleura Peters 1982 as a synonym of Acanthocercus phillipsii (Boulenger 1895) and describes for the first time Acanthocercus guentherpetersi n. sp. Without more convincing evidence, Chamaeleon ruspolii Boettger 1893 cannot be accepted as specifically distinct from Chamaeleo dilepis Leach 1819, nor Chamaeleo calcaricarens Böhme 1985 from C. africanus Laurenti 1768. Consequently, 101 species of lizard are currently recognised in Ethiopia, of which some 40% appear to be denizens of the Somali-arid zone. This significant proportion is attributable in part to the importance of the Horn of Africa as a centre for reptilian diversification and endemicity, in part to the fact that this lowland fauna was rather extensively sampled during the 1930s, but also to the conspicuous neglect of lizards in other regions of the country. Mountain and forested habitats are widespread in Ethiopia, so it seems extraordinary to record only five saurian species which are believed to be endemic in such environments. The inference that there are many more still to be discovered has important implications for conservation, because montane forest is known to be among the most threatened of Ethiopian biomes and there is clearly an urgent need for its herpetofauna to be more thoroughly researched and documented.
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, The Democratic Rupublic of the Congo, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Latastia: 162 references
Latastia: 75 pictures (see species level)
Latastia johnstoni © 2021 Tomas Chipiri Buruwate