Biology:Potamites

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Short description: Genus of lizards


Potamites
Potamites species from Peru - Potamites montanicola, Potamites strangulatus strangulatus, Potamites ecpleopus, Potamites strangulatus trachodus.jpg
Several Potamites species in Peru
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gymnophthalmidae
Genus: Potamites
Doan & Castoe, 2005

Potamites is a genus of lizards in the family Gymnophthalmidae. The genus is restricted to northern South America (Bolivia, Brazil , Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and southern Central America (Costa Rica and Panama). They are semiaquatic and found near streams.[1]

Taxonomy and species

Until 2005, species now placed in Potamites were included in Neusticurus, another genus containing semi-aquatic lizards of South America.[2] Despite the move, some still have an English name that refers to their former genus, including P. strangulatus, the big-scaled neusticurus.[3] Even after this split, genetic studies revealed that Potamites was paraphyletic and to resolve this two species were moved to Gelanesaurus in 2016.[4]

The genus Potamites currently contains 8 valid species.[3] Further changes are likely, as P. ecpleopus as currently defined is paraphyletic, and it has been suggested that trachodus, usually considered a subspecies of P. strangulatus, should be recognized as a separate species.[4]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Potamites.

References

  1. Bauer; Jackman (2008). "Global diversity of lizards in freshwater (Reptilia: Lacertilia)". Hydrobiologia 595 (1): 581–586. doi:10.1007/s10750-007-9115-0. 
  2. Doan; Castoe (2005). "Phylogenetic taxonomy of the Cercosaurini (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae), with new genera for species of Neusticurus and Proctoporus". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143 (3): 405–416. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00145.x. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Potamites ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?genus=Potamites&submit=Search. Retrieved 11 March 2017. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Torres-Carvajal; Lobos; Venegas; Chávez; Aguirre-Peñafiel; Zurita; Echevarría (2016). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the most diverse clade of South American gymnophthalmid lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 99: 63–75. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.03.006. PMID 26975692. 

Wikidata ☰ Q641512 entry