Glossary

Here is a list of commonly used herp terms.

A

Aestivation: A period of warm weather inactivity; often triggered by excessive heat or drought.

Allopatric: Not occurring together but often adjacent.

Ambient temperature: The temperature of the surrounding environment.

Anterior: Toward the front.

Anus: The external opening of the cloaca; the vent.

Arboreal: Tree-dwelling.

Autotomize: The ability to break easily or voluntarily cast off (and usually to regenerate) a part of the body.  This is used with tail-breakage in lizards.

Axillary: Near the apex (pit) of the arm.

B

Bicuspid: As pertaining to reptiles, claws with two points.

Brille: The clear spectacle that protects the eyes of lidless-eyed geckos and other lizards.

Brumation: The reptilian and amphibian equivalent of mammalian hibernation.

C

Canthus rostralis (canthal crest): A ridge from beneath the eye to the snout.  This may be sharply or gently angled from the plane of the snout.

Casque: The upward projecting cap or helmet at the back of a lizard's head.

Caudal: Pertaining to the tail.

Chromatophore: A skin cell that contains pigment.

Cloaca: The common chamber into which degective, urinary, and reproductive systems empty and that itself opens exteriorly through the vent or anus.

Con...: Pertaining to reptiles, a prefix to several words (generic, specific) indicating "the same". Congeneric refers to species in the same genus; conspecific indicates the same species.

Crepuscular: Active at dusk or dawn.

D

Deposition: The laying of eggs.

Deposition site: The spot chosen by the female to lay her eggs.

Dermal: Relating to the skin.

Diapause: A temporary cessation of development, often induced by coolness or dryness.

Dicephalism:  Having two heads

Dichromatic: Two colour phases of the same species, often sex-linked.

Digit: Finger/toe.

Dimorphic: A difference in form, build, or colouration involving the same species; often sex-linked.

Diurnal: Active in the daytime.

Dorsal: Pertaining to the back; upper surface.

Dorsolateral: Pertaining to the upper sides.

Dorsum: The upper surface.

E

Endemic: Confined to a specific region.

Endolymphatic sacs: The sacs of calcium carbonate located on both sides of the neck in certain members of the subfamily Gekkoninae.

F

Femoral pores: Openings on the underside of the thighs of lizards.  These pores produces a waxy exudate.

Femur: The part of the leg between hip and knee.

Flanks: Lower side.

Form: An identifiable species or subspecies.

Fracture planes: Softer areas in the tail vertebrae that allow the tail to break easily if seized.

G

Genus: A taxonomic classification of a group of species having similar characteristics.  The genus falls between the next higher designation of "family" and the next lower designation of "species".  Genera is the singular of genus.  The generic name is always capitalized when written.

Glossohyal: A muscle of the extensible tongue.

Granular: Pertaining to small, flat scales.

Gravid: The reptilian equivalent of mammalian pregnancy.

Gular: Pertaining to the throat.

Gular crest: A longitudinal ridge of enlarged throat scales.

H

Heliothermic: Pertaining to a species that basks in the sun to thermoregulate.

Hemipenes: The dual copulatory organs of male lizards and snakes.  Singular form: hemipenis.

Herpetoculture: The hobby of keeping and breeding reptiles and amphibians

Herpetoculturist: The people involved in herpeticulture, professionals or non-professionals.

Herpetology: The study of reptiles and amphibians, including but not limited to, classification, history, anatomy and behaviour.

Herpetologists: The people involved in herpetology and have usually been schooled in science.

Herps: Reptiles and/or amphibians.

Heterogenous: Not uniformly sized, coloured or patterned.

Homogenous: Uniformly sized, coloured or patterned.

Hybrid: Offspring resulting from the breeding of two species.

Hydrate: To restore body moistures by drinking or absorption.

I

Insular: Island dwelling.

Intergrade: Offspring resulting from the breeding of two sub-species.

J

Juvenile: A young or immature specimen.

K

Keel: A ridge (along the centre of a scale).

Keratin: The hardened, largely inert, protenaceous outer skin of a reptile.

L

Labial: Pertaining to the lips.

Lamellae: The transverse scales that extend across the underside of a gecko's toes.

Lateral: Pertaining to the side.

M

Melanism: A profusion of black pigment.

Middorsal: Pertaining to the middle of the back.

Midventral: Pertaining to the centre of the belly or abdomen.

Monotypic: Containing but one type.

N

Nocturnal: Active at night.

O

Occipital lobe: The flaps or lobes of skin at the rear of some chameleons' heads.

Ocelli: Light centred rings.

Ontogenetic changes: Changes occurring during growth.

Ontogeny: The course of development.

Oviparous: Reproducing by means of eggs that hatch after laying.

Ovoviviparous: Reproducing by means of shelled or membrane-contained eggs that hatch prior to, or at deposition.

P

Parietal eye: A sensory organ present in certain reptiles that is positioned midcranially.

Phalanges: The bones of the toes.

Poikilothermic: A species with no internal body temperature regulation.  The old term was "cold-blooded".

Polymorphic: More than one colour phase.

Posterior: Toward the rear.

Preanal pores: A series of pores, often in the shape of an anteriorly directed chevron, and located anterior to the anus.

Prehensile: Grasping.

Preocular: Anterior to the eye.

R

Race: A subspecies.

Rostral: Pertaining to the nose area.

Rugose: Not smooth; wrinkled or tuberculate.

S

Saxicolous: Rock-dwelling.

Scansorial: Capable of, or adapted for climbing.

Serrate: Saw-like.

Setae: The hairlike bristles in the lamellae of a gecko's toes.

Spatulae: The flattened distla ends of the setae.

Species: A group of similar creatures that produce viable young when breeding; the taxonomic designation that falls beneath genus and above subspecies.

Subdigital: Beneath the toes.

Subspecies: The subdivision of a species; a race that may differ slightly in colour, size, scalation or other criteria.

Sympatric: Occurring together.

T

Tarsal spur: An outgrowth on the heel.

Taxonomy: The science of classification of plants and animals.

Terrestrial: Land-dwelling.

Thermoregulate: To regulate (body) temperature by choosing a warmer or cooler environment.

Thigmothermic: Pertaining to a species (often nocturnal) that thermoregulates by being in contact with a preheated surface such as a boulder or tarred road surface.

Tuberculate: Pertaining to tubercules.

Tubercules: Warty protuberances.

Tympanum: The external eardrum.

V

Vent: The external opening of the cloaca; the anus.

Venter: The underside of a creature; the belly.

Ventral: Pertaining to the undersurface or belly.

Ventrolateral: Pertaining to the sides of the venter.

Vertebral: Pertaining to the middorsal area.

Vertebral crest: A ridge of scales or an actual longitudinal middorsal crest.