Philochortus hardeggeri

Philochortus hardeggeri, also known commonly as Hardegger's orangetail lizard and Hardegger's shield-backed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to the Horn of Africa.

Etymology
The specific name, hardeggeri, is in honor of Austrian physician Dominik Kammel von Hardegger (1844–1915), who explored in Ethiopia and Somalia.

Geographic range
P. hardeggeri is found in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of P. hardeggeri are desert and savanna, at altitudes below 1,100 m.

Reproduction
P. hardeggeri is oviparous.

Taxonomy
Philochortus hardeggeri was originally described as Latastia hardeggeri, a species new to science, by Austrian herpetologist Franz Steindachner in 1891. In 1917 the species was assigned to the genus Philochortus as Philocortus hardeggeri by Belgian-British herpetologist George Albert Boulenger. Boulenger also determined that two other species, Eremias heterolepis Boettger, 1893 and Latastia degeni Boulenger, 1903 are junior synonyms of Philocortus hardeggeri.