Zig zag MIRALLES, SCHMIDT, BELLUARDO, RAHAGALALA, MONVOISIN, RATSOAVINA, KÖHLER, GLAW & VENCES, 2026
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Mabuyinae (Mabuyini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Zigzag skink |
| Synonym | Trachylepis zag MIRALLES, SCHMIDT, BELLUARDO, RAHAGALALA, MONVOISIN, RATSOAVINA, KÖHLER, GLAW & VENCES 2026 |
| Distribution | NW Madagascar (Boeny region) Type locality: white sand area 3 km north of Village de Baly (16.048420° S, 45.271180° E, ca. 10 m a.s.l.), Baie de Baly National Park, Boeny region, Northwest of Madagascar |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. MNHN-RA-2025.0001 (formerly ZSM 103/2023, field number FGZC 12006), collected on 14 October 2023, between 05:00 and 06:30 a.m., by A. Miralles and N. A. Rahagalala. Paratypes (25 specimens). ZSM 101/2023 (FGZC 12001), ZSM 102/2023 (FGZC 12004), UADBAFGZC 12002, 12003, 12005, same collection data as the holotype. ZSM 104/2023 (FGZC 12020), UADBAFGZC 12018, 12019, white sand area 2.5 km north to the Village de Baly (16.051937° S, 45.271192° E, ca. 10 m a.s.l.), Baie de Baly National Park, Boeny region, Northwest of Madagascar, collected on 14 October 2023, between 08:00 and 09:00 p.m. by A. Miralles and N. A. Rahagalala. ZSM 105/2023 (FGZC 12025), ZSM 106/2023 (FGZC 12026), ZSM 107/2023 (FGZC 12027), ZSM 108/2023 (FGZC 12028), ZSM 109/2023 (FGZC 12029), ZSM 110/2023 (FGZC 12030), ZSM 111/2023 (FGZC 12031), ZSM 112/2023 (FGZC 12032, juvenile), UADBA-FGZC 12021, 12022, 12023, 12024, 12033, 12034, 12035, white sand area 1 km South East to the village of Benetsy (15.939187° S, 45.770564° E, ca. 15 m a.s.l.), Tsiombikibo forest, Boeny region, North West of Madagascar, collected on 16 and 17 October 2023, between 08:00‒09:30 p.m. and between 05:00‒06:00 a.m. by A. Miralles and N. A. Rahagalala. ZSM 113/2023 (FGZC 12053), UADBA-FGZC 12052 (juvenile), white sand area 6 km East to the village of Benetsy (15.946133° S, 45.818431° E, ca. 20 m a.s.l.), Tsiombikibo forest, Boeny region, Northwest of Madagascar, collected on 18 October 2023, between 09:00 and 09:30 a.m. by A. Miralles and N. A. Rahagalala |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus Zig). Based on molecular phylogenetic relationships, a genus in the family Scincidae, subfamily Scincinae, sister to Paracontias. The genus Zig is distinguished from all other known Malagasy scincines by the following combination of characters: (1) the complete absence of limbs (versus four well developed and pentadactyl limbs in Madascincus, Amphiglossus, Flexiseps, Brachyseps, and relictual fore- and hindlimbs in some—but not all—species of Grandidierina, Pygomeles, Pseudoacontias, Voeltzkowia), (2) a “blind” morphotype (versus presence of an eye-opening, in Amphiglossus, Flexiseps, Brachyseps, Madascincus, Pygomeles, Pseudoacontias, and all Paracontias species except P. minimus), (3) the presence of a single supraocular (versus two to four supraoculars, most often four, in Amphiglossus, Flexiseps, Brachyseps, Madascincus, Pygomeles, Pseudoacontias, and all Paracontias species except P. minimus), (4) the absence of a visible external ear-opening (versus present and well distinguishable in Amphiglossus, Brachyseps, Flexiseps except F. stylus, and Madascincus), (5) the fusion of the supranasals and loreals into loreo-supranasals (a condition otherwise only encountered in the three known species forming the Kankana clade, i.e. Paracontias kankana, P. ampijoroensis and P. mahamavo), and two autapomorphic traits only found in Zig, i.e. (6) the presence of single, significantly enlarged secondary temporal, as elongated as the primary temporal and in contact with the last supralabial and the nuchal (versus presence of two secondary temporals in all the other genera), and (7) the position of the subocular scale corresponding to the second supralabial (versus the third, the fourth, or occasionally the fifth in all the other genera). (Miralles et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about between half a page and a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | Type species: Zig zag is the type species of the genus Zig MIRALLES, SCHMIDT, BELLUARDO, RAHAGALALA, MONVOISIN, RATSOAVINA, KÖHLER, GLAW & VENCES 2026. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet ‘zag’, an arbitrary combination of letters, is used here to form a pun on ‘zig zag’, in reference to the very characteristic sinusoidal tracks left by this species when moving in the white sand. It is treated as an invariable noun in apposition to the genus name. The genus name Zig is an arbitrary combination of letters in the sense of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Articles 30.1.4.1 and 30.2.2, and we assign it the feminine gender. We have searched all available taxonomic databases and could not find any evidence that this name has ever been used to refer to a genus of animals, and we therefore conclude that it is available. |
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