Oplurus saxicola (marked Madagascar swift) is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana. The name of this species, saxicola, comes from the Latin saxum, meaning stone or rock, as they live within that environment.
| Oplurus saxicola | |
|---|---|
| |
| Opulus saxicola with tail twice as long as body in Tsimanampetsotsa National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Opluridae |
| Genus: | Oplurus |
| Species: | O. saxicola
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| Binomial name | |
| Oplurus saxicola (Grandidier, 1869)
| |
Description
editExtremely depressed reddish-green body, with marked spots. White abdomen. Large throat. Eyes very large, of triangular form. The scales of the forefeet are webbed; the thighs of rear legs are muscular. Scales on the neck are of similar dimensions to those on the back.[2]
Distribution
editThe marked Madagascar swift is endemic to the province of Toliara in south-west Madagascar.
References
edit- ^ "Oplurus saxicola". www.iucnredlist.org. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Grandidier, Alfred. "Descriptions de quelques animaux nouveaux découverts, pendant l'année 1869, sur la côte ouest de Madagascar". Revue et Magazine de Zoologie (Paris). Retrieved 10 September 2014.
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