Spondylurus semitaeniatus (WIEGMANN, 1837)
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Spondylurus semitaeniatus
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Mabuyinae (Mabuyini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Lesser Virgin Islands Skink |
| Synonym | Euprepes semitaeniatus WIEGMANN 1837:135 Gongylus (Eumeces) agilis — REINHARDT & LUETKEN, 1863:229 (part) Euprepes semitaeniatus — PETERS 1864:50 E[uprepes] semitaeniatus — PETERS 1871:400 (part) Mabuya sloanii — BOCOURT 1879:401 (part) Mabuia sloanii — BOULENGER 1887:193 (part). Mabuya semitaeniata — STEJNEGER 1904:610 (claimed as distinct species) Mabuya sloanii — BARBOUR 1914:320 (part) Mabuya sloanii — SCHMIDT 1928:121 (part) Mabuya sloanii — BARBOUR 1930:105 (part) Mabuya semitaeniatus — GRANT 1931:218 Mabuya mabouia — BARBOUR 1935:129 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanii — DUNN 1936:544 (part.) Mabuya mabouia — BARBOUR 1937:147 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanei — SCHWARTZ & THOMAS 1975:141 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanei — MACLEAN et al. 1977:30–35 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanei — HEATWOLE et al. 1981:34 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanei — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1988:151 (part) Mabuya mabouya sloanei — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991:457 (part) Mabuya bistriata — POWELL et al. 1996:82 (part) Mabuya sloanii — MAYER & LAZELL 2000:883 (part) Mabuya sloanii — MIRALLES 2005:49 (part) Mabuya sloanii — HENDERSON & POWELL 2009:293 (part) Spondylurus semitaeniatus — HEDGES & CONN 2012: 194 |
| Distribution | US and British Virgin Islands (incl. St. Thomas, Capella, Little Buck); British Virgin Islands (Fallen Jerusalem Ginger Island, Great Camanoe Island, Guana Island, Little Thatch Island, Mosquito Island, Necker Island, Round Rock, Salt Island, Tortola, Virgin Gorda) Type locality: "America" |
| Reproduction | viviparous (phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: ZMB 1238, from "America," ex. coll. Marcus Elieser Bloch (see HEDGES & CONN 2012); holotype clarified as ZMB 1238, same specimen as examined by Schneider (1801:181), for syntype of Scincus auratus; originally from collection of Bloch). ZMB 5290 has been erroneously listed as type by several authors. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Spondylurus semitaeniatus is characterized by (1) maximum SVL in males, 74.7 mm; (2) maximum SVL in females, 82.9 mm; (3) snout width, 1.99–3.27% SVL; (4) head length, 15.8–19.4% SVL; (5) head width, 11.9–16.2% SVL; (6) ear length, 0.953–2.27% SVL; (7) toe-IV length, 8.33–12.0% SVL; (8) prefrontals, two (98%), four (2%); (9) supraoculars, three (1%), four (99%); (10) supraciliaries, three (2%), four (98%); (11) frontoparietals, two; (12) supralabial below the eye, five (28%), six (72%); (13) nuchal rows, one (14%), two (80%), three (6%); (14) dorsals, 57–65; (15) ventrals, 59–70; (16) dorsals + ventrals, 119–134; (17) midbody scale rows, 31–34; (18) finger-IV lamellae, 10–15; (19) toe-IV lamellae, 13–19; (20) finger-IV + toe-IV lamellae, 23–33; (21) supranasal contact, Y (96%), N (4%); (22) prefrontal contact, N; (23) supraocular-1/frontal contact, Y (38%), N (62%); (24) parietal contact, Y (98%), N (2%); (25) pale middorsal stripe, Y; (26) dark dorsolateral stripe, Y; (27) dark lateral stripe, Y; (28) pale lateral stripe, Y; and (29) palms and soles, pale (Tables 3–5). |
| Comment | Synonymy: after HEDGES & CONN 2012 who revived this species from synonymy. For instance, Dunn, 1936:544 and Schwartz & Thomas, 1975:141 placed Euprepes semitaeniatus in the synonymy of Mabuya mabouya sloanii. Distribution: erroneously reported from Culebra and Mona. Conservation status: endangered (Adkins-Giese et al. 2014). |
| Etymology | Not provided in the original description. However, the species name (semitaeniatus) is a feminine singular adjective derived from the Latin semi (half) and taenia (ribbon, stripe), hence half-striped, referring quite accurately to the dorsal pattern of this species, although such a pattern is shared with most other species in the Genus Spondylurus. |
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