Copy of `New Zealand Lizards - Lizard terms`

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New Zealand Lizards - Lizard terms Category: Animals and Nature > Lizards Date & country: 04/08/2015, NZ Words: 250

Diurnal
Active by day.

Dichromatic
Sexes with markedly different colouration .

Dermal
Of the skin.

Denticulate
Tooth-like markings on the lips of a lizard.

Density dependent
A characteristic which varies according to population density.

Density independent
Any factor that limits a population's size and growth regardless of density. Compare with density-dependence.

Crenulated
Wavy in shape; used to describe a scale feature.

Crenated
Having a notched edge; used to describe a scale feature.

Density
The number of individuals per unit area.

Cryptic
Inconspicuous or secretive by way of colour, pattern or behaviour.

Cryptozoic
Active under cover or in darkened places.

Crepuscular
Active at dawn, dusk or in deeply shaded conditions.

Cryptic species-complex
A situation in which it has been recognised that a described species sensu lato actually consists of several undescribed species within.

Copulation
The act of mating.

Commensalism
Species living together with no mutual disadvantage.

Cline
Quantitative gradation in characteristics of species across its range.

Cloaca
The common chamber into which the reproductive and excretory ducts open.

Clade
A clade is a branch in a cladogram, and also refers to a group of organisms which share a common ancestor and includes the ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor.

Character
A genetically inherited feature of an organism, e.g. eye colour.

Ciliaries
The small scales encircling the eye, divided between upper and lower ciliaries.

Chevron
An inverted V-shaped marking.

Chinshields
Large or medium scales behind the postmental scale(s), in skinks.

Broadleaf
A flowering plant or shrub with 'broad' leaves, as opposed to plants such as beech, which have 'small' leaves.

Carrying capacity
The measure of a habitat to indefinitely sustain a population at a particular density.

Catastrophe
An unpredictable event that has a strong effect on a population.

Caudal
Relating to the tail.

Canthal
Relating to the dorso-lateral edge of the snout, between the nostril and eye. Usually refers to the canthal stripe or the canthal scales of lizards.

Biogeography
The science which deals with patterns of species distribution, and the processes which lead to this distribution.

Auricular
Relating to the ear.

Autotomy
Tail-loss, spontaneously or by reflex, often used as an escape mechanism.

Basal
At or near the base.

Bacteria
Any of the unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms, which vary in terms of morphology, oxygen and nutritional requirements, and motility, and may be free-living, saprophytic, or pathogenic in organisms.

Biotic
The living components in a species' environment.

Atypical variation
Unusual individuals having been recorded in the species, such as melanistic or albino specimens.

ATLAS
Atlas of the Amphibians and Reptiles of New Zealand, hosted by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

ARO
Annual reproductive output.

Arboreal
Living in trees or shrubs.

Apical plates
Scales bordering the claw, in geckos.

Anterior
At or towards the front of the body.

Allele
An allele is a viable DNA coding of the same gene occupying a given locus on a chromosome.

Anatomy
The body structure and organisation of living organisms.

Allopatric speciation
Allopatric speciation occurs when populations physically isolated by an extrinsic barrier evolve intrinsic reproductive isolation; such if this barrier was removed, individuals of the two populations are still unable to interbreed.

Allopatric
Having distributions that do not overlap.

Alpine Fault
The geological fault line occurring along the South Island Main Divide.

Activity periods and cycles
Daily activity in accordance with daily light and temperature regimes.

Adpress
Pressing the forelimbs and hindlimbs towards each other against the body to gauge relative limb length.

Adaptation
The change in anatomical structure, physiological process or behavioural trait of a species that has evolved over time by the process of natural selection such that it increases the expected long-term reproductive success of the species.

Altitude range
The maximum and minimum altitudes at which a species has been recorded.

Abundance
The number of individual organisms within a general area.

Abiotic
The non-living components of a species' environment.