Gardiner's burrowing skink

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.

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

Etymology

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

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

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

Habitat and behavior

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

P. gardineri is oviparous.[8]

Conservation status

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
  1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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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