Gardiner's burrowing skink
| Gardiner's burrowing skink | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Pamelaescincus Greer, 1970[2] |
| Species: | P. gardineri
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| Binomial name | |
| Pamelaescincus gardineri (Boulenger, 1909)
| |
| |
| Synonyms | |
Gardiner's burrowing skink (Pamelaescincus gardineri) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. P. gardineri is the only species in the (monotypic) skink genus Pamelaescincus. The species is endemic to the Seychelles.
Etymology
[edit]The generic name, Pamelaescincus, is in honor of Pamela, the older of Allen E. Greer's two sisters.[7]
The specific name, gardineri, is in honor of British zoologist John Stanley Gardiner.[7]
Taxonomy
[edit]P. gardineri is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae, which seems to be paraphyletic. Probably quite close to Janetaescincus, it belongs to a major clade that does not seem to include the type genus Scincus. Thus, it will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily.[6]
Geographic range
[edit]P. gardineri is found only in the Seychelles.[1][8]
Habitat and behavior
[edit]The natural habitats of P. gardineri are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, at altitudes from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft), where it burrows in the leaf litter and soil.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]Conservation status
[edit]Populations of P. gardeneri are locally affected by introduced predators and habitat destruction, but unlike its relatives, it is not considered an endangered species by the IUCN.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Gerlach, J; Ineich, I. (2021). "Pamelaescincus gardineri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T61439A179809981. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T61439A179809981.en. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ a b Greer AE (1970). "The systematics and evolution of the Subsaharan Africa, Seychelles, and Mauritius Scincine Scincid lizards". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 140 (1): 1-24. (Pamelaescincus, new genus, pp. 17-18).
- ^ Boulenger GA (1909). "A list of the freshwater fishes, batrachians and reptiles obtained by Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner's expedition to the Indian Ocean". Transactions of the Linnean Society 12: 291-300. (Scelotes gardineri, new species, pp. 298-300 + Plate 40, figure 5).
- ^ Vesey-Fitzgerald D (1947). "Reptiles and amphibians from the Seychelles Archipelago". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Eleventh Series 14: 577-584.
- ^ Evans PGH, Evans JB (1980). "The ecology of lizards on Praslin Islands, Seychelles". Journal of Zoology (London) 191 (2): 171-192.
- ^ a b Austin JJ, Arnold EN (2006). "Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39 (2): 503–511. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.011 (HTML abstract)
- ^ a b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Genus Pamelaescincus, p. 200; species P. gardineri, p. 97).
- ^ a b Species Pamelaescincus gardineri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Gerlach, J.; Ineich, I. (2006). "Pamelaescincus gardineri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T61439A12484813. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T61439A12484813.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. Database entry includes justification why this species is of least concern.
External links
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