Ophisops jerdonii

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 jerdonii
Name

Ophisops jerdonii Blyth, 1853: 653

Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.4.52, ZSI 2196.

Type locality: “Mhow”.
References
Primary references

Blyth, E. 1853. Notices and descriptions of various reptiles, new or little-known. Part I. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 22: 639–655. BHL

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Ophisops jerdonii. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 15 May 2019.
Khan, M.S. 2010. IUCN: Ophisops jerdonii (Least Concern). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T178461A7551632. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178461A7551632.en

Vernacular names
English: Punjab-Snake-eyed Lacerta

Ophisops jerdonii, commonly known as Jerdon's cabrita, Jerdon's snake-eye, or Punjab snake-eyed lacerta, is a species of lacertid lizard, which is distributed in east Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Etymology

The specific name, jerdonii, is in honor of British biologist Thomas C. Jerdon.[5]
Description

Head moderate, feebly depressed. Upper head-shields rugose, keeled and striated; nostril lateral, pierced between 3 or 4 shields, viz. an anterior, or an upper and a lower anterior nasal and two superposed postnasals ; a large frontonasal; frequently one or two small azygos shields between the pair of prefrontals; four supraoculars, first and fourth small, the two principal separated from the supraciliaries by a series of granules; occipital small, sometimes a little broader than the interparietal, with which it forms a suture; subocular bordering the lip, between the fourth and fifth (or third and fourth) upper labials; temporal scales small, keeled; one or two large subtemporal shields border the parietals externally; tympanic shield small or indistinct. No gular fold extending from ear to ear; collar quite indistinct. Dorsal scales large, strongly keeled, much imbricate, scarcely larger on the back than on the sides; 28 to 35 scales round the middle of the body (ventrals included). A large postero-median preanal plate. The hind limb reaches the shoulder or halfway between the latter and the ear in the male, not to axilla in the female; 7 to 11 femoral pores on each side. Tail once and a half to twice as long as head and body; caudal scales about as large as dorsals. Coppery-brown above, with two pale golden lateral streaks bordered with black, the upper extending from the supraciliaries to the tail, the lower from the upper lip to the groin; frequently a series of large black spots between the two lateral streaks; lower surfaces yellowish white.[6]

From snout to vent 1.65 inches (42 mm); tail 3.2 inches (81 mm).[6]

Central India (Saugor, Mhow), N.W. Provinces (Agra), Punjab, Sind, Madras Presidency (Bellary).[6]
References

Khan, M.S. 2010. Ophisops jerdonii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T178461A7551632. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178461A7551632.en. Downloaded on 15 May 2019.
Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Ophiops jerdonii, pp. 73-74).
Smith MA (1935). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (Ophisops jerdoni, pp. 377-378).
"Ophisops jerdonii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
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 jerdonii, p. 134).

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 jerdonii, p. 174).

Further reading

Arnold EN (1989). "Towards a phylogeny and biogeography of the Lacertidae : relationships within an Old-World family of lizards derived from morphology". Bull. British Mus.(Nat. Hist.) Zool. 55 (2): 209–257.
Beddome RH (1870). "Descriptions of some new lizards from the Madras Presidency". Madras Monthly J. Med. Sci. 1: 30–35.
Blyth E (1854). "Notices and Descriptions of various Reptiles, new or little known [Part I]". J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 22 [1853]: 639–655. ("Ophiops Jerdoni ", new species, p. 653).
Böhme W, Bischoff W (1991). "On the proper denomination of Cabrita jerdonii Beddome, 1870 (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Amphibia-Reptilia 12: 220–221.
Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Ophisops jerdoni, p. 103).
Das, Indraneil; Dattagupta, Basudeb (1997). "Rediscovery of the holotypes of Ophisops jerdoni Blyth, 1853 and Barkudia insularis Annandale, 1917". Hamadryad 22 (1): 53–55.
Jerdon TC (1870). "Notes on Indian Herpetology". Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 1870 (March 1870): 66–85.