Sphenomorphus sheai NGUYEN, NGUYEN, VAN DEVENDER, BONKOWSKI & ZIEGLER, 2013
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Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Shea’s Forest Skink G: Sheas Bodenskink Vietnamese: Thằn lằn phê-nô shea |
Synonym | Sphenomorphus sheai NGUYEN, NGUYEN, VAN DEVENDER, BONKOWSKI & ZIEGLER 2013 |
Distribution | SC Vietnam (Kon Tum Plateau) Type locality: Camp 1 (14°37.098’N, 108°30.177’E, elevation 1,025 m; datum WGS84) from Kon Tum Plateau in the border area between Quang Ngai and Kon Tum provinces, southern Central Vietnam |
Reproduction | oviparous; the holotype contained four small white follicles in each ovary. |
Types | Holotype: IEBR A.2013.22 (Field number ASU 10715), adult female, collected on 4 June 2012 by K. V. Nguyen and R. W. Van Devender. |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Size small (SVL 35.2 mm); prefrontals separated from each other; supraoculars four; enlarged nuchals in two pairs; lower eyelid scaly; supralabials six, first fused with nasal; primary temporals two; external ear openings absent; midbody scales in 20 rows; dorsal scales smooth, paravertebral scales 53, not widened; limbs short, pentadactyl; scales on dorsal surface of base of fourth toe in three rows; lamellae under fourth toe six; free margins of upper and lower eyelids not edged in white; dorsum and tail base bronze brown with dark dots; dorsolateral light stripe present on neck, shoulder and anterior part of dorsum; upper zone of lateral head and flank with a narrow black stripe. |
Comment | Habitat: The holotype was collected about two hours after dark among leaf litter on a steep slope about three meters above a small stream surrounded by secondary forest at an elevation of 1025 m. Abundance: only known from the type specimen (Meiri et al. 2017). |
Etymology | The new species is named in honour of Dr. Glenn Shea from the University of Sydney, Australia, in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards the systematics of scincid lizards. |
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