Posted by:
HaroldD
at Tue Dec 20 10:24:32 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by HaroldD ]
Hi Christina,
Actually you have done pretty well in interpreting the etymology of these names.
Acanthosaura does indeed mean "spiny lizard"
A. armata does mean "armed spiny lizard"
capra does mean goat. It may have been named for some behavioral or ecological trait that reminded the author of goats. I could perhaps guess that it lives in a goat-favored habitat - a wild guess! You would need to consult the original description to see if the author gives an explanation.
A. crucigera does mean "cross-bearing spiny lizard"
"lepidogaster" is not Latin, but Greek. "gaster" is a term used in many, many herp names. It means "belly". "lepidus" is Greek for rocky, or by extension "hard". So the name probably means "hard (or rough) bellied spiny lizard."
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RE: Latin roots of Acanthosaura? - HaroldD, Tue Dec 20 10:24:32 2005