lacertid

noun

1. Any lizard of the family Lacertidae.

   “Lacertid scalation and body forms are similar to those of the teiids, although lacertids are usually smaller.”

   “Lacertids are distinguished by a section of large, flat scales on the undersides of their necks.[…]Teiids are the New World counterparts to lacertids.”

   “Lacertid teeth are hollow at the base (teiid teeth are solid). Virtually all lacertids are terrestrial or rock-dwelling lizards, although a few species, including Holaspis and Takydromus, climb in vegetation, and at least one species appears to live high in trees.”

2. A type of blazar (highly variable active galactic nucleus) that lacks spectral emission lines characteristic of quasars.

   “In the same diagram a compact galaxy, 3C 371, and a Seyfert, 3C 120, lie very close to the Lacertids.”

   “These reliably variable objects included three ROCOSs (OE 400, OI 090.4, and PI034-293) and two lacertids (AO 0235+164 and OJ 287).”

   “We have identified six radio sources in the Zelenchuk (RATAN-600) catalog with two quasars, two lacertids, and two pairs of galaxies.”