Gongylomorphus bojerii (DESJARDIN, 1831)

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Higher Taxa	Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Bojer's Skink
Synonym	Scincus bojerii DESJARDIN 1831: 296 Gongylus Bojerii — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 625 Scelotes bojeri — BOULENGER 1887: 409 Gongylomorphus bojeri — GREER 1970 Gongylomorphus bojerii — BRYGOO 1981 Scelotes bojerii — BULLOCK 1986 Scelotes bojerii — NORTH et al. 1994 Thyrus bojeri ? (O’SHEA, pers. comm.) Gongylomorphus bojeri — AUSTIN & ARNOLD 2006 Gongylomophus bojeri — KOPIJ 2025 (in error)
Distribution	Mascarenes, Mauritius (Round Island, Gunner's Quoin [Coin de Mire], Reunion ?)
Reproduction	oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022)
Types	Holotype: lost, MNHN-RA, apparently lost (Brygoo 1985); not traced at MNHN (I. Ineich, March 2019)
Diagnosis	Diagnosis (genus): Skull characters: Palatine bones and palatal rami of pterygoids meeting medially; palatal rami of pterygoids "squared-off," not emarginated posteriorly as in the following two genera; pterygoid teeth absent (Fig. 7 in GREER 1970). Postorbital bone distinct, well developed; supratemporal arch well developed; 16 teeth on maxilla and 11 teeth on premaxillae. External characters: Interparietal small, not touching supraoculars; frontoparietals present (absent in all other subsaharan Africa, Madagascar, or west Indian Ocean island scincines); ear opening a horizontal slit; 38 longitudinal scale rows at midbody; digits 5-5 [from GREER 1970]. 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 205 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details.
Comment	Conservation: Probably extinct on Reunion. Type species: Scincus bojerii DESJARDIN 1831 is the type species of the genus Gongylomorphus FITZINGER 1843. Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species.
Etymology	Named after Wenzel Bojer (1800-1856), a Czech naturalist. He collected in tropical Africa. He was Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Pamplemousses, Mauritius (1948- 1949). The genus name was not specifically explained by Fitzinger (1843), but likely from the combination of Gongylus Wagler, 1830, a skink genus, itself derived from the Greek gongylos (rounded, presumably in reference to the body cross sectional shape), plus Greek morphe, Latinised to morphus (shape).
References	Austin, J. J. & Arnold, E.N. 2006. Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39 (2): 503-511 - get paper here Austin, J.J.; Arnold, E.N. & Jones, C.G. 2009. Interrelationships and history of the slit-eared skinks (Gongylomorphus, Scincidae) of the Mascarene islands, based on mitochondrial DNA and nuclear gene sequences. Zootaxa 2153: 55–68 - get paper here Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here Boulenger, G. A. 1887. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) III. Lacertidae, Gerrhosauridae, Scincidae, Anelytropsidae, Dibamidae, Chamaeleontidae. London: 575 pp. - get paper here Brygoo, E.R. 1985. Les types des scincidés (Reptiles, Sauriens) du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, catalogue critique. Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. (4e sér.) 7 (sect. A 3), suppl.: 1-126 Brygoo,E.R. 1981. Systématique des lézards scincides de la région malgache. IX. Nouvelles unités taxinomiques pour les Scelotes s.l. Bull. Mus. natl. Hist. nat. Paris, 4th ser., Sect. A., 3 (4): 1193-1204 Bullock, David J. 1986. The Ecology and Conservation of Reptiles on Round Island and Gunner's Quoin, Mauritius. Biological Conservation 37: 135 156 - get paper here Desjardin, J. 1831. Sur trois espèces de lézard du genre scinque, qui habitent l'île Maurice (Ile-de-France). Ann. Sci. Nat. Paris 22: 292-299 - get paper here Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here Garbutt N 1992. The reptiles of Round Island, Mauritius. HERPTILE 17 (4): 157-170 Kopij, G. 2025. Alien Mammals in the Afrotropical Region and Their Impact on the Vertebrate Biodiversity: A Review. Preprint - get paper here North S G; Bullock D J; Dulloo M E 1994. Changes in the vegetation and reptile populations on Round Island, Mauritius, following eradication of rabbits. Biological Conservation 67 (1) (1993): 21-28 - get paper here Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here Vinson, J., and J. M. Vinson. 1969. The saurian fauna of the Mascarene Islands. Mauritius Institute Bulletin, 6:203-320 [1969] Vinson, Jean-Michel 1973. A new skink of the genus Gongylomorphus from Macabé forest (Mauritius). Rev. agric. sucr. Île Maurice 52: 39-40 Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
External links	IUCN Red List National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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