Tropidurus psammonastes Rodrigues, Kasahara & Yonenaga-Yasuda, 1988

Uchoa, Lucas Rafael, Delfim, Fagner Ribeiro, Mesquita, Daniel Oliveira, Colli, Guarino Rinaldi, Garda, Adrian Antonio & Guedes, Thais B., 2022, Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Caatinga, northeastern Brazil: Detailed and updated overview, Vertebrate Zoology 72, pp. 599-659 : 599

Tropidurus psammonastes Rodrigues, Kasahara & Yonenaga-Yasuda, 1988

Fig. 20

Type locality.

Arraial do Paulista, municipality of Xique-Xique, state of Bahia, Brazil.

Distribution.

Caatinga endemic species. It is recorded only in the state of Bahia. It shows restricted distribution in the Caatinga and with annual mean temperature 20 to 28°C along two ecoregions (Table 1 ; Appendix S3). Distributed in medium to high elevation areas (400-652 m a.s.l.), with annual mean temperature 24 to 26°C, and average annual rainfall between 674 and 964 mm.

Ecological notes.

Terrestrial and diurnal. Found mainly in dunes on the left bank of the São Francisco River, which are characterized by sparse vegetation, with a space of bare sand between the vegetation clumps ( Rodrigues et al. 1988). The species prefers shaded and protected sites ( Rocha and Rodrigues 2005), it can be seen in bare sand or moving through bushes and, when chased, hides in small holes at the base of clumps of vegetation ( Rodrigues et al. 1988). Diet based mainly on arthropods, being Formicidae , insect larvae and also plant material the most representative item ( Lima and Rocha 2006). Oviparous, no detailed data is known about the number of eggs laid by the species, but it could be similar to other Tropidurus ( Rodrigues 1987; Faria and Araujo 2004).

Figures

Figure 20. Map showing the geographic distribution records and extent of occurrence of the lizards in the Caatinga region: Tropidurus helenae, Tropidurus hispidus, Tropidurus jaguaribanus, Tropidurus montanus, Tropidurus mucujensis, Tropidurus oreadicus, Tropidurus pinima, Tropidurus psammonastes, Tropidurus semitaeniatus, Tropidurus sertanejo. Red circles represent data occurrence data produced in this study; Black circles represent data from literature. Ecorregions: 1: Brejos; 2: Complexo da Chapada Diamantina; 3: Complexo Ibiapaba - Araripe; 4: Depressao Sertaneja Meridional; 5: Depressao Sertaneja Setentrional; 6: Dunas do Sao Francisco; 7: Planalto da Borborema; 8: Raso Catarina and 9: Sao Francisco / Gurgueia.