Janetaescincus
| Janetaescincus | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Janetaescincus | ||||||||||||
| Greer , 1970 |
Janetaescincus is a genus of skink endemic to the Seychelles . It consists of the species Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi and Janetaescincus braueri , which were originally assigned to the genera Amphiglossus and Scelotes . The American herpetologist Allen Eddy Greer created this genus in 1970 and named it after his younger sister Janet. Some authors, such as the British zoologist Anthony Cheke, consider Janetaescincus to be monogeneric with Janetaescincus braueri as the only species. However, this is not generally accepted.
features
Janetaescincus has similarities with the genera Gongylomorphus and Pamelaescincus . Janetaescincus differs from all other Skink genera in that the palatine bone and the palatal branches are limited to the rear of the wing bone . Janetaescincus differs from the genus Gongylomorphus in the number of rows of scales around the middle of the body (22 to 24 in Janetaescincus , 30 to 38 in Gongylomorphus ) and in the number of fingers (four in Janetaescincus , five in Gongylomorphus ). In janetaescincus also the missing crown shield and the glasses on the lower eyelid . The round outer ear opening is smaller in Janetaescincus than in Gongylomorphus and Pamelaescincus .
Distribution, habitat and status
Janetaescincus braueri occurs on Mahé and Silhouette , Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi on Mahé, Silhouette, Curieuse , Félicité , La Digue and Frégate . Both species live in untouched forests and are endangered in their population due to the reenactment by introduced Great Tenreks and habitat loss.
literature
- Greer, Allen E .: The systematics and evolution of the Subsaharan Africa, Seychelles, and Mauritius Scincine Scincid lizards . In: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College . Volume 140 (1), Harvard, 1970, pp. 1-24
