Takydromus kuehnei
Kuhne’s grass lizard is distributed in low-elevation areas in Vietnam, southern China, and Taiwan, as well as on Hainan Island. This species was published by American herpetologist John van Denburgh in 1909 and named in honor of zoologist Heinrich Kuhl. It is found in arboreal environments and has a slender body, a long tail that is nearly four times the length of its body, and long slender toes. The first phalanx has an obvious arcuate bend, which might be a morphological adaptation to an aboreal environment. This brown grass lizard possesses four pairs of chin shields and 3-5 pairs of femoral pores. Many males have yellowish-green dotted patches along the sides. Due to the slender body and the characteristics of its chin shields and femoral pores, it was once classified as a ground lizard (genus Platyplacopus). Compared with most grass lizards, Kuhne’s grass lizard easily sheds its tail, often in response to a light touch.
