Brachymeles apus HIKIDA, 1982

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Higher Taxa	Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Hikida's Short-legged Skink
Synonym	Brachymeles apus HIKIDA 1982: 841 Brachymeles apus — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 258 Brachymeles apus — MALKMUS et al. 2002: 272 Brachymeles apus — SILER et al. 2009
Distribution	Malaysia (N Borneo, Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu) Type locality: Bundu Tuhan (alt. about 1300 m, 6° 01’ S, 116° 32’ E), near the headquarters of the Kinabalu National Park, Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Reproduction	ovoviviparous
Types	Holotype: OMNH (Osaka) R1635, adult female
Diagnosis	Diagnosis. A large species of the genus Brachymeles, 131 mm in snout to vent length for the male holotype and 119 mm for the female paratype. No postnasal. Nostril pierced between supranasal and first supralabial. Nasal reduced and indistinguishable. Five supraoculars. Two superciliaries in anterior corner of orbit. A pair of nuchals present or absent. A small elongated temporal scale below parietal. No auricular opening. No limbs. Five to seven vertically elongated scales on suppression above anus. 22-24 scale rows around mid-body. 108-113 mid-dorsal scales between parietal and base of tail. Dorsum dark reddish brown. Tail entirely dark brown or black. Belly lighter than dorsum. Tail contrasted with belly in color. (Hikida 1982) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 4760 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details.
Comment	Limb morphology: Limbless species. Distribution: This is the only Brachymeles species outside of the Philippines. Habitat: semifossorial and typically found in dry, rotting material inside or underneath decaying logs or in loose soil, forest floor detritus, and leaf litter of higher elevation forest.
References	Brown, W.C. & E.L. Alcala 1995. A new species of Brachymeles (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Catanduanes Island, Philippines [B. minimus]. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 108 (3): 392-394. - get paper here Das , I. 2004. Lizards of Borneo. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, Borneo Hikida,T. 1982. A new limbless Brachymeles (Sauria: Scincidae) from Mt. Kinabalu, North Borneo. Copeia 1982 (4): 840-844 - get paper here Malkmus, R.; Manthey, U.; Vogel, G. Hoffmann, P. & Kosuch, J. 2002. Amphibians and reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo). A.R.G. Ganther Verlag, Rugell, 404 pp. Manthey, U. & Grossmann, W. 1997. Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 512 pp. (ISBN 3-931587-12-6) - get paper here Siler, C. D.; D.S. Balete; A. C. Diesmos and R. M. Brown 2010. A New Legless Loam-swimming Lizard (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae: Genus Brachymeles) from the Bicol Peninsula, Luzon Island, Philippines. Copeia 2010 (1): 114–122 - get paper here Siler, Cameron D.; Edmond L. Rico, Mariano R. Duya, and Rafe M. Brown 2009. A NEW LIMB-REDUCED, LOAM-SWIMMING SKINK (SQUAMATA: SCINCIDAE: BRACHYMELES) FROM CENTRAL LUZON ISLAND, PHILIPPINES. Herpetologica 65 (4): 449 - get paper here
External links	IUCN Red List National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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