by An international team of researchers has discovered a new species of the lizard genus Abronia living in the forests of western Chiapas, Mexico.
Abronia is a large genus of medium-sized insectivorous arboreal lizards that are commonly referred to as abronias or alligator lizards.
These lizards belong to the family Anguidae and are endemic to Mexico and northern Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras).
The newfound species, named Abronia morenica, is known only from the vicinity of the type locality in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, a globally important center of endemism.
“It’s this prehistoric, otherworldly forest. You are walking through swirls of dense mist from passing clouds, and the trees are dripping with bromeliads and ferns and orchids,” said Dr. Adam Clause, a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
“The lizard is part of a remarkable collection of iconic animals that live in these isolated forests, such as jaguars, spider monkeys, and birds like the resplendent quetzal and horned guan.”
Continued...
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Abronia is a large genus of medium-sized insectivorous arboreal lizards that are commonly referred to as abronias or alligator lizards.
These lizards belong to the family Anguidae and are endemic to Mexico and northern Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras).
The newfound species, named Abronia morenica, is known only from the vicinity of the type locality in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, a globally important center of endemism.
“It’s this prehistoric, otherworldly forest. You are walking through swirls of dense mist from passing clouds, and the trees are dripping with bromeliads and ferns and orchids,” said Dr. Adam Clause, a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
“The lizard is part of a remarkable collection of iconic animals that live in these isolated forests, such as jaguars, spider monkeys, and birds like the resplendent quetzal and horned guan.”
Continued...
Source
