Trachylepis atlantica (SCHMIDT, 1945)
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Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Mabuyinae (Mabuyini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | Portuguese: Mabuia-de-Noronha |
Synonym | Tiliqua punctata GRAY 1839: 289 Mabouya punctatissima O’SHAUGHNESSY 1874 (not SMITH 1849) Mabuya atlantica SCHMIDT 1945 (nom. subst. for Mabuya punctata) Trachylepis (Xystrolepis) punctata TSCHUDI 1845 (fide TRAVASSOS 1946) Mabuya punctata — TRAVASSOS 1946 Mabuya atlantica — WHITING et al. 2006 Trachylepis tschudii MIRALLES et al. 2009 (nom. nov. pro Trachylepis punctata) Trachylepis atlantica — MIRALLES et al. 2009 Trachylepis atlantica — LYRA & VENCES 2018 |
Distribution | Brazil (archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 200 km off the northeast Brazilian coast) Type locality: Fernando de Noronha, Brazil [Tiliqua punctata GRAY 1839] |
Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
Types | Lectotype: BMNH 1946.8.27.47 (formerly xv.99a), collected H.M.S. Chanticleer. Designated by Travasos (1948), identity confirmed by Miralles et al. (2012). Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.18.40 [punctatissima] |
Diagnosis | |
Comment | Variation: Specimens from Fernando de Noronha differ from other Mabuya species in numerous morphological features, especially strongly keeled dorsal scales, uniform coloration without a trace of striping, and unusually high dorsal, ventral and midbody scale counts (e.g. Dunn, 1935; Peters and Donoso-Barros, 1970). As a result, they have been linked to the Cape Verde Islands Mabuya species, rather than to any of the New World congeners (e.g. Dunn 1935; Horton 1973). Synonymy: Dunn (1935) synonymized M. maculata with M. mabouya mabouya (Lacépède, 1788). Mabuya mabouya mabouya, as defined by Dunn, is now known to represent a composite of several different species (e.g. Avila-Pires, 1995). The name Tiliqua punctata GRAY 1839 is preoccupied by Lacerta punctata LINNAEUS. Tiliqua punctata Gray is a homonym of Lacerta punctata Linnaeus [currently considered a junior synonym of Trachylepis homalocephala (Wiegmann) ], hence Miralles et al. 2009 proposed Trachylepis tschudii as a nomen novum. However, they also state that Trachylepis tschudii is a junior synonym of T. atlantica. Abundance: only known from the type locality (Meiri et al. 2017). |
Etymology | Named after Latin atlantica, belonging to Atlantic, one of the five oceans; from Greek Atlantikôi pelágei (Ἀτλαντικῷ πελάγει), the Sea of Atlas, being Atlas (Ἄτλας), one of the titans in Greek mythology. (SCHMIDT 1945, Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., April 2024) |
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