Species:

Takydromus viridipunctatus  LUE & LIN, 2008

Common names:

翠斑草蜥 (Chinese)

Types:

Holotype: NMNS 4431, an adult male. Captured when perching on high grasslands (Miscanthus sinensis) near the coastline. Collected at night on 21 June 2003 by Yu-Jun Hong, How-Ying Hsu, Yi-Fen Chen, and Si-Min Lin. Deposited in Natural Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan.

Terra Typica:

Su-ao, Yilan County, Taiwan (24° 35’ 23.4” N, 121° 51’ 37.5” E), elevation 10 m.

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Lue, K.-Y. & Lin, S.-M. (2008) -  Two new cryptic species of Takydromus (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Taiwan. -  Herpetologica, 64 (3): 379-395.    

  ×

  Two new grass lizard species, previously confused with Takydromus formosanus, were identified in Taiwan using mitochondrial DNA sequences. In the present study, 40 morphological characters and their taxonomic significances were assessed using principal components analysis and discriminant analysis. The three species can be distinguished by morphology of body sizes, dorsal and caudal scales, and most importantly, by male coloration during the breeding seasons. The present study increases the total number of Takydromus to 19 species, of which 10 are insular endemics, with six only occurring in Taiwan.