Günther's dwarf burrowing skink (Scelotes guentheri), also known commonly as Günther's burrowing skink, was a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species was endemic to Natal, South Africa.[1][2]
| Günther's dwarf burrowing skink | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Scelotes |
| Species: | †S. guentheri
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Scelotes guentheri Boulenger, 1887
| |
Description
editS. guentheri is known from only one specimen which was collected in 1886.[3] It has greatly reduced limbs. The forelimbs are entirely absent, and the hind limbs retain only two digits.[2] This holotype has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 9.8 cm (3.9 in), and a tail length of 7.0 cm (2.8 in).[4]
Etymology
editThe specific name, guentheri, and the common names are in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.[2][5]
Conservation status
editS. guentheri is considered to be extinct.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Bauer, A.M.; Conradie, W.; Marais, J. (2018). "Scelotes guentheri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T44979051A115670551. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T44979051A115670551.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Scelotes guentheri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 18 January 2015.
- ^ Branch (2004).
- ^ Boulenger (1887).
- ^ 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. (Scelotes guentheri, p. 110).
Further reading
edit- Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ...Scincidæ ..... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (Scelotes guentheri, new species, pp. 414–415 + Plate XXIV, figures 3, 3a, 3b, 3c).
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Scelotes guentheri, p. 142).
- Raw LRG (2021). "On the Status of Scelotes bourquini Broadley and Scelotes guentheri Boulenger (Sauria: Scincidae) from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa". ''ZooNova (7): 1–6.
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