You are here » home › advanced search › search results › Gongylomorphus bojerii

Gongylomorphus bojerii (DESJARDIN, 1831)

IUCN Red List - Gongylomorphus bojerii - Critically Endangered, CR
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Gongylomorphus bojerii?

Add your own observation of
Gongylomorphus bojerii »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaScincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Bojer's Skink 
SynonymScincus 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) 
DistributionMascarenes, Mauritius (Round Island, Gunner's Quoin [Coin de Mire], Reunion ?)  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: lost, MNHN-RA, apparently lost (Brygoo 1985); not traced at MNHN (I. Ineich, March 2019) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (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. 
CommentConservation: 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. 
EtymologyNamed 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  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Gongylomorphus&species=bojerii

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator