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Pseudopus apodus (=Ophisaurus apodus) (Glass Lizard / Oluklu Kertenkele)

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Pseudopus apodus (=Ophisaurus apodus) (Glass Lizard / Oluklu Kertenkele)


Pseudopus apodus (=Ophisaurus apodus) (Glass Lizard / Oluklu Kertenkele) [Adult / Erişkin] from Uluabat, BURSA - 28.05.2010.

Glass Lizard is a large member of the family Anguidae, limbless and snake-like in appearance. It is a diurnal species, living in rodent burrows or stone plenty, as well as in dense undergrowth. It is able to climb dense bushes. In the hotter months it is active only in the mornings and late afternoon. It prefers the temperatures between 20 and 26°C. When threatened, the animal can move with surprising speed, it shoots 5-10 m forward and preferably downhill. It is known to feed on various invertebrates (like hard-shelled snails, various beetles and orthopterans) and also on small vertebrates (like shrews, rodents, lizards and even snakes). Occasionally, fruits of wild plants are eaten as well. Mating season starts end of March and can last until June. Females are laid between 8-12 eggs. After an incubation period of about 45 days, young appear between July and September.

Glass Lizard has a head is nearly indistinct from body. Ear openings are distinct. Head covered with plates, but often hard to recognize in older individuals the large frontals. A prominent groove on the flanks extending from head to vent, furnished with small and smooth scales. There are 12-14 dorsal scale rows, and 10 longitudinal ventral rows, with the lateral groove forming a separation between dorsal and ventral scale rows. The number of ventral plates is 112-124. There’re 2-3 mm long rudimentary hind limbs on the sides of the anal cleft. Dorsal scales are strongly keeled in young animals, smoothing out with age. Coloration is uniformly yellow to dark brown, the head is often lighter. Some individuals have reddish spots. Juveniles have a typical pattern of dark cross bands on head and body. Tail is about 150 % of Snout-vent length. Although a maximum total length of 144 cm has been reported for this species, it has generally a meter length as an average value. Sexual dimorphism is weakly developed, males are slightly larger than females.

Glass Lizard prefers light woodlands, with dry and warm hillsides; often found near stream banks; occasionally also close to agricultural fields. It is known from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Turkey and also in the Balkan, Aegean Islands, coast of former Yugoslavia, Caucasus. An introduced population seems to exist in Austria. It is represented with two subsepecies. The nominotypic subspecies (P. a. apodus) is found in the eastern part of the range, and the western populations assigned to P. a. thracius. In Turkey, the nominate race lives in E & N. Anatolia, while P. a. thracius is distributed in Turkish Thrace (European Turkey) and W. Anatolia.

References: 1. Göçmen, B. (Unpub. results). The results of herpetological trips. 2. Budak, A. & Göçmen, B. (2005). Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 226 pp. [2nd Edition, 2008]. 3. Disi, A. M., Modry, D., Necas, P. & Rifai, L. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Edition Chimaira, 408 pp.

Author Bayram GÖÇMEN
Created on Friday 28 May 2010
Posted on Wednesday 09 February 2011
Tags Bursa, TURKEY / TÜRKİYE
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