Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, commonly known as Ellen's whip lizard and Ellenberger's long-tailed seps, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae. The species is indigenous to Africa.
Etymology The specific name, ellenbergeri, is in honor of Victor Ellenberger (1879–1972), who was an African-born Swiss missionary and naturalist.Beolens, Bo, Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, p. 82).
Geographic range T. ellenbergeri is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. www.reptile-database.org.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of T. ellenbergeri are savanna and grassland.
Description T. ellenbergeri is a snake-like lizard. Its front legs are absent, and its back legs are reduced to minute spikes about 2 mm long. The tail is extremely long, more than three times the snout-to-vent length (SVL).
Behavior T. ellenbergeri is terrestrial and diurnal.
Diet T. ellenbergeri preys upon insects and other invertebrates.
Reproduction T. ellenbergeri is oviparous.
References
Further reading Angel F (1922). "Sur un Lézard d'un genre nouveau de la famille des Gerrhosauridæ". Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 28: 150–152. (Paratetradactylus ellenbergeri, new species). (in French). Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, pp. 181–182). Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (Tetradactylus ellenbergeri, p. 218).