Scelotes limpopoensis FITZSIMONS, 1930
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Scelotes limpopoensis
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris JACOBSEN 1987 Scelotes limpopoensis limpopoensis FITZSIMONS 1930 |
| Common Names | E: Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing Skink albiventris: White-Bellied Dwarf Burrowing Skink |
| Synonym | Scelotes limpopoensis FITZSIMONS 1930: 35 Scelotes limpopoensis — AUERBACH 1987: 103 Scelotes limpopoensis limpopoensis — BATES et al. 2014: 277 Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris JACOBSEN 1987 Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris — BATES et al. 2014: 277 |
| Distribution | Republic of South Africa (Limpopo River valley, N Transvaal), S Zimbabwe, Botswana albiventris: N Transvaal. Type locality: Messina, Northern Transvaal. |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Holotype: DNMNH (= TM) 13183 Holotype: DNMNH (= TM) 37977, collector N. H. G. Jacobsen, 18 March 1970, [albiventris] |
| Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION. Snout obtuse, projecting only slightly beyond labial margin; eye eye moderate; lower eyelid with an undivided transparent disc; ear-opening small, but plainly visible externally; supra-nasals meeting in middle line, separated from first labial by a small post-nasal; fronto-nasal roughly heptagonal, much broader than long, in wide contact with frontal; frontal more or less bell-shaped, anterior edge straight and posterior convex, almost as broad as long, and just slightly eas than twice 385 long as fronto-nasal; four supraoculars, first by far the largest: five supra-ciliaries; interparietal large, much broader than long. slightly shorter, but considerably broader than frontal; parietals narrow and band-like, meeting in middle line behind interparietal, in contact with last supra-ocular; adjacent to parietals are two temporals, the inferior in contact with last labial; seven upper labials, fourth entering orbit, not longer than second and third together. 'Twenty scales round middle of body. Fore limb tridactyle, very small and rudimentary, 3 quarter as long as its distance from the snout; hind limb about three times as long as fore limb, tetradactyle, first digit minute, progressing in size to the fourth which is by far the longest, all digits clawed; tail slightly shorter than head and body. (FITZSIMONS 1930) Colour. (Spirit specimen.) Dorsally sepia, scales with darker centres; a wide, well-defined lateral band, light buff in colour, runs from snout through supra-oculars, and down body, fading out over posterior half of tail; rostral with a large, light-coloured spot, just anterior to confluence of lateral bands; flanks darker than dorsal surface, scales more intensely infuscated. Ventrally scales lightly infuscated, more heavily under tail; chin whitish. (FITZSIMONS 1930) |
| Comment | Limb morphology: Forelimb with 3 digits but very small and rudimentary, hindlimb with 4 toes. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. S. l. albiventris was named after the immaculate ventrum of the new subspecies which is characteristic, as opposed to the speckled ventrum of the nominate subspecies. |
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