Paracontias brocchii MOCQUARD, 1894
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Paracontias brocchii
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Stone Skink |
| Synonym | Paracontias brocchii MOCQUARD 1894 Paracontias brocchii — ANGEL 1942: 145 Paracontias brocchii — BRYGOO 1980: 910 Paracontias brocchii — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 320 Paracontias brocchii — SCHMITZ et al. 2005 |
| Distribution | N Madagascar Type locality: montagne d’Ambre |
| Reproduction | oviparous (phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 1893.0207 (holotype by monotypy) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): The genus Paracontias as currently conceived (Brygoo, 1980b) has the following derived character states: supranasals absent; prefrontals absent; pretemporal single; nasal greatly reduced; loreal single (P. holomelas may occasionally have two); preocular single; presubocular single; supralabials five, third subocular; postsupralabial single; infralabials contacted by postmental one; external ear opening absent; limbs absent without external trace of their former position; presacral vertebrae >= 46; sternal ribs <= 2; mesosternum absent; complete inscriptional chevrons >= 19. An interesting retained primitive character in Paracontias, especially vis-aÁ -vis many Amphiglossus, including the strongly limb-reduced A. stylus, is the contact between the first supraocular and the frontonasal which thereby excludes the first supraciliary from contacting the frontal. Three subgenera have been recognized within Paracontias: Angelias (Brygoo, 1980b), Malacontias (Greer, 1970) and Paracontias (Mocquard, 1894). We have not used these taxonomic groups because the two characters used to diagnose them as subgenera ± the position of the nasal opening in relationship to the rostral scale and first supralabial scale, and the number of presacral vertebrae ± do not result in monophyletic groups in all cases. Angelias (two species) is diagnosed on the basis of the primitive state in each character; Paracontias (one species) has as its only derived character the highest number of presacral vertebrae, and Malacontias (two species) is diagnosed on a derived scale arrangement and an intermediate number of presacral vertebrae. Hence only Malacontias or a group combining Malacontias + Paracontias (intermediate to high number of presacral vertebrae) is likely to be a true lineage on these characters (Andreone et al. 2002: 164). Original description (genus): Mocquard 1894: 5 Original description (brocchii): “Museau conique, arrondi à son extrémité et peu saillant; corps anguiforme, dépourvu de membres; queue longue, terminée en pointe. Rostrale grande, présentant sur les côtés une échancrure en angle droit, au sommet de laquelle la narine s'ouvre dans la rostrale, entre cette plaque et 'angle antérieur et supérieur de la première supéro-labiale; frontonasale plus longue que la rostrale, plus courte que la frontale; celle-ci sensiblement plus longue que large, à 6 pans, les latéraux les plus longs, rectilignes et convergents en avant; 3 sus-oculaires, la première la plus grande, en contact ainsi que la seconde, avec la frontale; 5 surciliaires, la deuxième et la troisième très étroites, la quatrième aussi grande que la troisième susoculaire, la cinquième très petite; une interpariétale triangulaire; pas de nuchales; frénale aussi longue que la première supéro-labiale, reposant sur les deux premières labiales; 4 labiales supérieures, la troisième bordant l'œil, et autant de labiales inférieures; mentonnière un peu moins grande que la rostrale 26 séries d'écailles au milieu du tronc, sensiblement égales; 4 pré-anales, celles de la paire médiane notablement plus grandes que les autres. Teinte gris de sable, ave une petite tache brune sur l'extrémité antérieure de chaque écaille. Un seul spécimen provenant de la montagne d'Ambre, par MM. Alluaud et Belly longueur totale 158mm, dont 65 pour la queue.” (Mocquard 1894: 5) |
| Comment | Limb morphology: Limbless; Morphology: no ear openings visible. Type Species: Paracontias brocchii MOCQUARD 1894 is the type species of the genus Paracontias MOCQUARD 1894. Key: Andreone et al. 2002: 164 provided a key to the species of Paracontias. |
| Etymology | Probably named after Paul Louis Antoine Brocchi (1838-1898), a herpetologist who worked at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, with Milne-Edwards (Mocquard didn’t explain the name but Brocchi is the most likely candidate). |
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