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Gardiner's burrowing skink

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Gardiner's burrowing skink
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Pamelaescincus
Greer, 1970[2]
Species:
P. gardineri
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

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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

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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

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P. gardineri is found only in the Seychelles.[1][8]

Habitat and behavior

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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

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P. gardineri is oviparous.[8]

Conservation status

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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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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).
  3. ^ 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).
  4. ^ Vesey-Fitzgerald D (1947). "Reptiles and amphibians from the Seychelles Archipelago". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Eleventh Series 14: 577-584.
  5. ^ Evans PGH, Evans JB (1980). "The ecology of lizards on Praslin Islands, Seychelles". Journal of Zoology (London) 191 (2): 171-192.
  6. ^ 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)
  7. ^ 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).
  8. ^ a b Species Pamelaescincus gardineri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  9. ^ 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.
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