Ophisops beddomei

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Cladus: Unidentata Episquamata

Subordo: Lacertoidea
Infraordo: Lacertibaenia

Familia: Lacertidae
Subfamilia: Lacertinae
Genus: Ophisops
Species: Ophisops beddomei
Name

Ophisops beddomei (Jerdon, 1870)

Holotype: BMNH, collected by Major Beddome.

Type locality: “Bremnagherry [=Brahmagiri] hills, at an elevation of 5000 feet”, Kerala, India.
Combinations

Pseudophiops beddomei Jerdon, 1870: 72 [original combination]
Ophisops beddomei — Smith, 1935: 378 [subsequent combination]

References
Primary references

Jerdon, T.C. 1870. Notes on Indian Herpetology. Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1870: 66–85. BHL Open access Reference page.

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Ophisops beddomei. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 9 February 2019.
Srinivasulu, B., Srinivasulu, C., Vijayakumar, S.P., Ganesan, S.R. & Ramesh, M. 2014. IUCN: Ophisops beddomei (Least Concern). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T172618A1353104. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T172618A1353104.en

Vernacular names
English: Beddome’s Snake-eye

Ophisops beddomei, commonly known as Beddome's snake-eye or Beddome’ s lacerta, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is a diurnal and fast-moving terrestrial lizard, which is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Geographic range

O. beddomei is found in Western India in the Indian states of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashta, and Tamil Nadu.[3]

The type locality is given as "Bremnagherry hills" (Brahmagiri Hills), Wayanad.[4]
Etymology

O. beddomei is named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830-1911, British army officer and botanist.[5]
Description

O. beddomei is very similar to O. jerdonii. O. beddomei has two or three frontonasals on a transverse line, one or two azygos prefrontals nearly always are present, and the first and fourth supraoculars are usually broken up into several very small shields or granules. Lateral scales are distinctly smaller than the dorsals; 28 to 32 scales occur around the body. Femoral pores number eight to 13. Coloration is as in O. jerdonii, but the upper lateral light streak is frequently absent.[6]
Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of O. beddomei are grassland, shrubland, and forest, at altitudes of 200–1,000 m (660–3,280 ft).[1]
Diet

O. beddomei preys upon insects.[1]
Reproduction

O. beddomei is oviparous.[3]
References

Srinivasulu, B.; Srinivasulu, C.; Vijayakumar, S.P.; Ganesan, S.R.; Ramesh, M. (2014). "Ophisops beddomei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T172618A1353104. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T172618A1353104.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Smith MA (1935). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (Ophisops beddomei, p. 378).
"Ophisops beddomei ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Jerdon TC (1870).
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. (Ophisops beddomei, p. 21).

Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. ("Ophiops beddomii [sic]", pp. 174-175).