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Cophoscincopus durus (COPE, 1862)

IUCN Red List - Cophoscincopus durus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaScincidae, Eugongylinae (Eugongylini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Keeled Water Skink 
SynonymTiliqua dura COPE 1862: 190
Lygosoma durum — BOULENGER 1887: 304
Cophoscincopus durus — MERTENS 1934: 190 (nom. nov.)
Cophoscincopus durus — LOVERIDGE 1941: 117
Cophoscincopus durus — GREER 1974: 29
Cophoscincopus durus — BÖHME, SCHMITZ & ZIEGLER 2000
Cophoscincopus durus — TRAPE, CHIRIO & TRAPE 2012 
DistributionLiberia, Sierra Leone, S Guinea (Conakry), Ivory Coast

Type locality: Western Africa.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 5996 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Small (snout-vent length 52 mm or less), semi-aquatic African beta skinks with movable lower eyelids, 2 supraoculars in contact with frontal, and very heavy keeling on the body scales; clutch size constant, 2. Lower eyelid scaly and supranasals lacking, although frontonasal may be divided longitudinally to give impression of 2 large supranasals meeting medially (Greer 1974: 31). 
CommentSynonymy: Cophoscincus simulans VAILLANT 1884 has been removed from the synonymy of C. durus by BÖHME et al. (2000).

Distribution: not in Ghana fide Trape et al. 2012.

Type Species: Tiliqua dura is the type species of the genus Cophoscincopus MERTENS 1934 (a replacement name for Cophoscincus VAILLANT 1884 fide GREER 1974). Originally, Cophoscincus simulans VAILLANT 1884 was the type species of the genus Cophoscincus VAILLANT 1884. For diagnostic features see MITTLEMAN 1952: 8.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin durus, hard (to the touch). ["…Body stout…"].

The genus was named after the genus Cophoscincus (which is pre-occupied by Cophoscincus Peters 1867), hence Mertens 1934 renamed it Cophoscincopus. Although Mertens provided no explanation of the name, the genus was apparently named after Greek kophos (κωφός), blunt, dull, obtuse + Greek skinkos (σκίγκος), skink + Greek pous (πούς), foot. 
References
  • Böhme, W, Schmitz, A. & T. Ziegler 2000. A review of the West African skink genus Cophoscincopus MERTENS (Reptilia: Scincidae: Lygosominae): Resurrection of C. simulans (VAILLANT, 1884) and description of a new species. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 107 (4): 777-791 - get paper here
  • Böhme, Wolfgang, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Christian Brede & Philipp Wagner 2011. The reptiles (Testudines, Squamata, Crocodylia) of the forested southeast of the Republic Guinea (Guinée forestière), with a country-wide checklist. Bonn zoological Bulletin 60 (1): 35-61 - 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
  • Branch, W.R. & Rödel, M.-O. 2003. Herpetological survey of the Haute Dodo and Cavally forests, western ivory Coast, Part II: Trapping, results and reptiles. Salamandra 39 (1): 21-38 - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1862. On Lacerta echinata and Tiliqua dura. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 14: 189-191 - get paper here
  • Greer, A.E. 1974. The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. Australian Journal of Zoology 31: 1-67. - get paper here
  • Hoogmoed, M.S. 1979. Herpetologische waarnemingen in Ghana [part 1 - introduction]. Lacerta 37 (10-11): 164-168 - get paper here
  • Hoogmoed, M.S. 1980. Herpetologische waarnemingen in Ghana [part 4]. Lacerta 38 (6): 50-53 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1938. On a collection of reptiles and amphibians from Liberia. Proc. New England Zool. Club 17: 49-74
  • Loveridge, Arthur 1941. Report on the Smithsonian-Firestone Expedition's collection of reptiles and amphibians from Liberia. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 91 (3128): 113-140 - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1933. Die Scinciden-Gattung Cophoscincopus Vaillant. Zool. Anz. 102: 188-190
  • Mudrack, W. 1985. Ein Beitrag zur Haltung und Zucht des Wasserskinkes Cophoscincopus durus (COPE, 1862). Sauria 7 (1): 29-30 - get paper here
  • Trape, J.F.; Trape, S. & Chirio, L. 2012. Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. IRD Orstom, 503 pp. - 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
  • Vaillant,L. 1885. Note sur une collection de Reptiles rapportée d'Assinie par M. Chaper. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris (7) 8: 168-171 [1884] - get paper here
 
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