Species:

Latastia boscai  BEDRIAGA, 1884

Subspecies (3):

Latastia boscai boscai  BEDRIAGA, 1884

Latastia boscai arenicola  PARKER, 1942

Latastia boscai burii  BOULENGER, 1907

Synonyms:

Latastia wachei  WERNER, 1913

Common names:

Eritrea Longtail Lizard (English)
Bosca’s Longtail Lizard (English)

Types:

boscai: Syntype: MSNG 10118

arenicola: Syntypes: BMNH, British Somaliland. Haud, Ado, Italian Somaliland. Dolo

burii: Syntypes: BMNH 1946.9.2.94-95 (1905.10.30.42-43), Somali, near Berbera Coll. G.W. BURY

Terra Typica:

boscai: Keren, Eritrea and `from the land of the Adal (Rugdeira Sogheira)` [the given place could not be located, under `the land of the Adal` is probably to be understood the settlement area of ​​the Afar].

arenicola: Haud [border region between Ethiopia and `Somaliland`], Ado in the Somali region of Ethiopia and Dolo [= Doolow] on the border between Ethiopia and S-Somalia.

burii: Berbera, Somalia

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Bedriaga, J. von (1884) -  Die neue Lacertiden-Gattung Latastia und ihre Arten (L. doriai n.sp. var. Martensi m., Samharica Blanf. und Boscai n.sp.). -  Annali del Museo civico di storia naturale di Genova, 20: 307-324.  

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• Largen, M.J. & Spawls, S. (2006) -  Lizards of Ethiopia (Reptilia Sauria):an annotated checklist, bibliography,gazetteer and identification key. -  Tropical Zoology, 19 (1): 21-109.    

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  This review lists Agama smithii Boulenger 1896 as a synonym of Agama agama (Linnaeus 1758), Agama trachypleura Peters 1982 as a synonym of Acanthocercus phillipsii (Boulenger 1895) and describes for the first time Acanthocercus guentherpetersi n. sp. Without more convincing evidence, Chamaeleon ruspolii Boettger 1893 cannot be accepted as specifically distinct from Chamaeleo dilepis Leach 1819, nor Chamaeleo calcaricarens Böhme 1985 from C. africanus Laurenti 1768. Consequently, 101 species of lizard are currently recognised in Ethiopia, of which some 40% appear to be denizens of the Somali-arid zone. This significant proportion is attributable in part to the importance of the Horn of Africa as a centre for reptilian diversification and endemicity, in part to the fact that this lowland fauna was rather extensively sampled during the 1930s, but also to the conspicuous neglect of lizards in other regions of the country. Mountain and forested habitats are widespread in Ethiopia, so it seems extraordinary to record only five saurian species which are believed to be endemic in such environments. The inference that there are many more still to be discovered has important implications for conservation, because montane forest is known to be among the most threatened of Ethiopian biomes and there is clearly an urgent need for its herpetofauna to be more thoroughly researched and documented.