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Morelet's alligator lizard facts for kids

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Morelet's alligator lizard
Mesaspis moreletii.jpg
Conservation status
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Genus:
Abronia (lizard)
Species:
moreletii
Mesaspis moreletii distribution.png
Synonyms
  • Gerrhonotus moreletii Bocourt, 1872
  • Barisia moreletiiTihen, 1949
  • Mesaspis moreletiLiner, 1994

Abronia moreletii, commonly known as Morelet's alligator lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to Central America.

Etymology

The specific name, moreletii, is in honor of French naturalist Pierre Marie Arthur Morelet.

Geographic range

A. moreletii is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Habitat

The natural habitat of A. moreletii consists of Central American pine-oak forests and cloud forests between 1,450 and 2,530 metres (4,760 and 8,300 ft) above sea level.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognized as being valid:

  • Abronia moreletii moreletii (Bocourt, 1872)
  • Abronia moreletii rafaeli (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
  • Abronia moreletii salvadorensis (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)
  • Abronia moreletii temporalis (Hartweg & Tihen, 1946)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Abronia.

The subspecific name, rafaeli, is in honor of Mexican herpetologist Rafael Martín del Campo.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Abronia moreletii para niños

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