Melanoseps pygmaeus BROADLEY, 2006
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Melanoseps pygmaeus?
Melanoseps pygmaeus
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Pygmy limbless skink |
| Synonym | Melanoseps pygmaeus BROADLEY in BROADLEY, WHITING & BAUER 2006: 106 Melanoseps ater — TORNIER 1896 (part) Melanoseps ater — LOVERIDGE 1933: 326 (part) Melanoseps ater var. longicauda —TORNIER 1900 (part) Melanoseps pygmaeus — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 173 |
| Distribution | Tanzania (Muheza District), Kenya (P. Malonza, pers. comm., 23 June 2021) Type locality: Kambai Forest Reserve (04°59’ S: 38°41’ E), Muheza District, Tanga Region, Tanzania at 580 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | ovoviviparous |
| Types | Holotype: NMZB 14846 (KMH 12751), adult female |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A dwarfed form with 18-20 midbody scale rows like M. rondoensis, distinguished from the latter by its higher number of ventrals (125-141 vs 113-128) and subcaudals (44 vs 37-43) [from BROADLEY et al. 2006]. 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 698 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named pygmaeus (Latin = pygmy) for its small size (maximum snout-vent length probably less than 100 mm) compared with the M. ater group (max. SVL210 mm) and M. loveridgei (max. SVL135 mm). |
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