Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi

Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi, commonly known as Fitzsimons' long-tailed seps and FitzSimons' whip lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae. The species is endemic to South Africa.^[2]

Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Gerrhosauridae
Genus:	Tetradactylus
Species:	T. fitzsimonsi
Binomial name
Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi Hewitt, 1915
IUCN range   Extant (resident)
Synonyms[2]
Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi Hewitt, 2015 Tetradactylus africanus fitzsimonsi — V. FitzSimons, 1943 Tetradactylus fitzsimonsi — Bates et al., 2014

Etymology

The specific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honour of Irish-born South African herpetologist Frederick William FitzSimons.^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. fitzsimonsi are grassland and shrubland.^[1]

Description

T. fitzsimonsi has no front legs. Its hind legs are minute, with only one toe on each foot.^[2] Adults may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 8 cm (3.1 in) and a total length (including a long tail) of about 34 cm (13 in).^[4]

Reproduction

T. fitzsimonsi is oviparous. A clutch of 2–5 eggs is laid in a live ant nest (Anochetus faurei). Communal nesting has been observed. Each egg measures about 1.5 cm × 1.0 cm (0.59 in × 0.39 in). Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of about 12.5 cm (4.9 in).^[4]