Miriam's skink
Miriam's skink (Brachymeles miriamae) is a skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Thailand.
| Miriam's skink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| B. miriamae in Udom Sap, Wang Nam Khiao, Thailand | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Brachymeles |
| Species: | B. miriamae |
| Binomial name | |
| Brachymeles miriamae | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Taxonomy
In 1972 Heyer described Miriam's skink as a new species in a new genus, giving it the scientific name Davewakeum miriamae.[2] In 2011 Siler et al. included the genus Davewakeum in the genus Brachymeles, creating the new combination, Brachymeles miriamae (Heyer, 1972).[3] In 2015 Chan-ard et al. returned the species to the genus Davewakeum.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, miriamae, is in honor of Miriam Heyer, who collected the holotype, and is the wife of American herpetologist W. Ronald Heyer.[4]
The generic name, Davewakeum, is in honor of American herpetologist David B. Wake.[4]
Geographic range
Miriam's skink is found in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.[1]
Description
Miriam's skink is limbless.[2]
References
- Species Brachymeles miriamae at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
- Heyer (1972).
- Siler CD, Diesmos AC, Alcala AC, Brown RM (2011). "Phylogeny of Philippine slender skinks (Scincidae: Brachymeles) reveals underestimated species diversity, complex biogeographical relationships, and cryptic patterns of lineage diversification". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59 (1): 53-65.
- 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 Davewakeum, pp. 66, 278–279; species D. miriamae, p. 179).
Further reading
- Chan-ard, Tanya; Parr, John W. K.; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin (2015). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press. 352 pp. ISBN 978-0199876181.
- Heyer WR (1972). "A New Limbless Skink (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Thailand With Comments on the Generic Status of the Limbless Skinks of Southeast Asia". Fieldiana Zoology 58 (10): 109–129. (Davewakeum, new genus, p. 124, Figures 4–5; D. miriamae, new species, pp. 124–128, Figure 7).