Mimic glass lizard
The mimic (rainbow) glass lizard (Ophisaurus mimicus) is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. The mimic glass lizard is dark brown to black with a dark middorsal stripe down the body and on most of the tail. They have 3-4 dark stripes separated by pale stripes above the lateral grooves.[2] They have a very distinct anatomy of the axis specifically when it comes to their second vertebrate which could be attributed to an ecological adaptation, feeding, and/or defensive behavior that requires high head and neck mobility.[3]
| Mimic glass lizard | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Anguidae |
| Genus: | Ophisaurus |
| Species: | O. mimicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophisaurus mimicus Palmer, 1987 | |
 | |
Geographic range
Ophiosaurus mimicus is found in parts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[4] They are strictly correlated with pinewood forests and they tend to prefer dryer areas. They have also been found as far south as Florida and west towards the pearl river county of Mississippi.[5]
References
- Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Ophisaurus mimicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63720A12709987. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- Palmer, William M. Herpetologica, vol. 43, no. 4, Dec. 1987, pp. 415–423., https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3892144.
- Čerňanský, Andrej, et al. “Vertebral Comparative Anatomy and Morphological Differences in Anguine Lizards with a Special Reference to Pseudopus Apodus.” The Anatomical Record, vol. 302, no. 2, 2018, pp. 232–257., https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.23944.
- "Ophisaurus mimicus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- Palmer, William M. Herpetologica, vol. 43, no. 4, Dec. 1987, pp. 415–423., https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3892144.
- "Ophisaurus mimicus ". Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Herpetology Program. http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/lizards/ophmim.htm
Further reading
- Palmer, William M. (1987). "A New Species of Glass Lizard (Anguidae: Ophisaurus) from the Southeastern United States". Herpetologica 43 (4): 415–423. (Ophisaurus mimicus, new species).