{"id":3065,"date":"2020-01-17T19:55:38","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T19:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/?page_id=3065"},"modified":"2020-04-03T17:54:06","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T17:54:06","slug":"acanthodactylus_dumerilii","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/ficha\/acanthodactylus_dumerilii\/","title":{"rendered":"Species page of Acanthodactylus dumerilii"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dumeril’s Fringe-toed Lizard
\nAcanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0(Milne-Edwards, 1829)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By\u00a0Mario Schweiger<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Updated:\u00a012\/10\/2012<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Taxonomy:\u00a0Sauria\u00a0|\u00a0Lacertidae\u00a0|\u00a0Acanthodactylus\u00a0|\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Acanthodactylus
Acanthodactylus dumerilii. Merzouga. Photo: \u00a9 Mario Schweiger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Range<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span><\/p>\n

Distribution map of
\nAcanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>
\nin Morocco.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Gallery: 6 photos.\u00a0[ENTER]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Phylogenetic frame<\/h2>\n

Lacerta dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0Milne-Edwards, 1829;
\nScapteira inornata<\/span>\u00a0Gray, 1838;
\nMeroles dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0Gray, 1838;
\nAcanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0exiguus<\/span>\u00a0Lataste, 1885;
\nAcanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0Boulenger, 1918;
\nAcanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0inornatus<\/span>\u00a0Boulenger, 1921;
\nAcanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0dumerili<\/span>\u00a0Boulenger, 1921;
\nAcanthodactylus dumerili<\/span>\u00a0Bons & Girot, 1964<\/p>\n

On the correct scientific name of Acanthodactylus dumerilii.<\/p>\n

In 1829 Milne Edwards described\u00a0Lacerta dumerilii<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Following authors used\u00a0dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0in the same way, as written by Milne-Edwards (with double \u201cii\u201d at the end), although sometimes in different genera, like Gray (1838) =\u00a0Meroles dumerilii<\/span>, Boulenger (1887) =\u00a0Acanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0dumerilii<\/span>, Boulenger (1918) =\u00a0Acanthodactylus scurellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0dumerilii<\/span>.<\/p>\n

In his Monograph of the Lacertidae, Boulenger (1921) suddenly wrote\u00a0Acanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0var.\u00a0dumerili<\/span>, with one \u201cI\u201d at the end.<\/p>\n

From this moment, most authors wrote\u00a0dumerili<\/span>, and also cited\u00a0Lacerta dumerili<\/span>\u00a0MILNE-EDWARDS, 1829 wrong (just with one \u201cI\u201d at the end), like \u2013 beside others – Salvador (1982) and Crochet\u00a0et al.<\/em>\u00a0(2003).<\/p>\n

The correct name of\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0has to be written with two \u201ci\u201d.<\/p>\n

Description<\/h2>\n

Together with, distributed in Morocco,\u00a0Acanthodactylus aureus<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0A. longipes<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0A. dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0belongs to the\u00a0Acanthodactylus scutellatus<\/span>\u00a0species group.<\/p>\n

While there is no distribution overlap with\u00a0A. aureus<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0may be found together with\u00a0A. longipes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in the Erg Chebbi and the Mhamid area in southern Morocco, although their habitat preferences differ a bit.<\/p>\n

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\"Acanthodactylus
Female. Merzouga. Photo: \u00a9 Mario Schweiger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For the morphological differences between the last two mentioned species, please see table at the\u00a0A. longipes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0account, or check Crochet, Geniez & Ineich (2003).<\/p>\n

For us, the most easy to see differences in the field is the coloration of both species.\u00a0Acanthodactylus longipes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has a more or less uniform coloration without dark spots on the body. In\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0there are always distinct dark brown or even black spots all over the dorsal side of the body, giving the species a more or less spectacled appearance.<\/p>\n

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\"Acanthodactylus
Adult male. Oued Ziz. Photo: \u00a9 Mario Schweiger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ecology and habits<\/h2>\n

Although\u00a0A. dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0could be seen together with\u00a0Acanthodactylus longipes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0within a few square meters, both species don\u2019t really share the same habitat.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0A. longipes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0prefers clearly the open, wind blown dunes,\u00a0A. dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0lives more at the edge of the dunes with some vegetation (bushes, Halfa-grass\u00a0Stipa tenacissima<\/span>). It digs its holes close to vegetation between the roots (own observations).<\/p>\n

Distribution, habitat and abundance<\/h2>\n

Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0is distributed from the northern half of Tunisia in the east across Algeria und Morocco, Western Sahara to Mauritania in the southwest.<\/p>\n

In Morocco the species lives south of the Saharian or Anti-Atlas mountain chain from Figuig in the east, in and around the Erg Chebbi and the Mhamid\/Zagora area. There are to lonsesome records from southwestern Morocco (near Aouinet Torkos and close to the Algerian border near Tindouf) (Bons & Geniez, 1996).<\/p>\n

In the Western Sahara it is widely distributed, but didn\u2019t reach the coastal area. There it is replaced by\u00a0Acanthodactylus aureus<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(Geniez\u00a0et al.<\/em>, 2004).<\/p>\n

In Mauritania, in contrast, it is only known from the coastal areas (Crochet, Geniez & Ineich, 2003).<\/p>\n

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\"Habitat
Habitat. Merzouga. Photo: \u00a9 Mario Schweiger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

We observed\u00a0Acanthodactylus dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0at the edge of Erg Chebbi, on smaller dunes west of Erg Chebbi, separated from the large dunes by some kilometres of black Reg desert, along the dry Oued Ziz north of Erg Chebbi and on more hard substrate along the road N12 near Missici (approx. 50 kms west of Rissani).<\/p>\n

All observations have been made, where there was a more or less dense Halfa-grass or other plants growing. We never have seen the species out in the open dunes, far away from vegetation.<\/p>\n

Everywhere, the population density was high. For example, at the dry Oued Ziz, every 5 to 7 meters a specimen have been spotted.<\/p>\n

Whole range of species: Lower risk-least concern (LR-Lc).<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n