Eremias przewalskii

Eremias przewalskii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Eremias
Species:	E. przewalskii
Binomial name
	Eremias przewalskii; (Strauch, 1876)
Synonyms [1]
	Podarces przewalskii; Strauch, 1876; Podarces kessleri; Strauch, 1876; Podarces brachydactyla; Strauch, 1876; Eremias przewalskii; — Boulenger, 1887;

Last updated November 14, 2019

Eremias przewalskii , commonly known as the Gobi racerunner, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Asia.

In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism; also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, trivial name, trivial epithet, country name, popular name, or farmer's name; is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; this kind of name is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism, which is Latinized. A common name is sometimes frequently used, but that is by no means always the case.

In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined.

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 6,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic as it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia; some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3 meter long Komodo dragon.

Etymology

The specific name, przewalskii, is in honor of Russian explorer and naturalist Nikolai Mikhailovitch Prjevalsky.^[2]

In zoological nomenclature, the specific name is the second part within the scientific name of a species. The first part of the name of a species is the name of the genus or the generic name. The rules and regulations governing the giving of a new species name are explained in the article species description.

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky was a Russian geographer of Polish-Russian origin and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the holy city of Lhasa in Tibet, he traveled through regions then unknown to the West, such as northern Tibet, Amdo and Dzungaria. He contributed significantly to European knowledge of Central Asian geography. He also described several species previously unknown to European science: Przewalski's horse, Przewalski's gazelle, and the Wild Bactrian camel, all of which are now endangered.

Geographic range

E. przewalskii is found in China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Russia.^[1]

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.428 billion in 2017. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third or fourth largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Kyrgyzstan ( KUR-gih-STAHN; Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан Kırğızstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, and also known as Kirghizia, is a country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia. Its area is roughly equivalent with the historical territory of Outer Mongolia, and that term is sometimes used to refer to the current state. It is sandwiched between Russia to the north and China to the south, where it neighbours the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, although only 37 kilometres (23 mi) separates them.

Habitat

The preferred habitats of E. przewalskii are desert, forest, shrubland, and wetlands, at altitudes of 500–1,800 m (1,600–5,900 ft).^[3]

In ecology, a habitat is the type of natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives. It is characterized by both physical and biological features. A species' habitat is those places where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction.

Desert Area of land where little precipitation occurs

A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions where little precipitation occurs and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.

A forest is a large area dominated by trees. Hundreds of more precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function. According to the widely used Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered 4 billion hectares (9.9×10⁹ acres) (15 million square miles) or approximately 30 percent of the world's land area in 2006.

Reproduction

E. przewalskii is viviparous.^[1]

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References

1 2 3 Eremias przewalskii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 21 April 2019.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Eremias przewalskii, p. 212).
↑ Orlova V, Terbish K, Wang Y, Guo X, Shi L, Bi J (2019). "Eremias przewalskii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T47755920A47755929.en.