Chalcides simonyi

The Purple arias Skink ( Chalcides simonyi ) is a lizard of the family of skinks. The species was named after Oscar Simony, which has collected in 1890 as the first specimens of the species.

Features

The Purple arias Skink reached a total length of 30 inches, making it the largest Skinkart the Canary Islands. The basic color of the top is usually dark brown. Light beige and arranged in rows are numerous points to be found on the sides of the body, the back and tail. The edge of the shed is dark, so that the animals seem drawn like a net and not striped. The cross-section of the cylindrical body and plumb is oval. The long tail has a round cross-section. He is slightly shorter than the head-body length. The clearly distinct from the body head is short, broad and has a triangular outline. The legs are strong and relatively more developed than in others occurring in the Canaries species of the genus Chalcides. The feet each have five toes. The ear drum is round and easy to recognize.

Coloring and drawing of the young animals is largely that of adults.

Occurrence

The species is mainly found in the northern and central part of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura. Furthermore, it occurs on the small island of Lobos and was also detected in the south of Fuerteventura and to the north of Lanzarote. It occurs from sea level to altitudes of 450 feet MSL. It prefers moist habitat as the reason of canyons ( ravines ), but also irrigated cultivated land, gardens, farms and the like.

Way of life

Over the winter purples arias Skink keeps for several months hibernation. The animals but February / March will be active again, at this point begins the reproductive period lasting several weeks.

To mating and birth only data from captivity are so far available. In copulation, the male bites firmly on one side of the neck of the female. The copulation only takes a few seconds. Nevertheless, there is frequent repetition, even several times in one day, instead. In April / May the females 4 or 5 boy bring within about two hours to the world. There are possible each year two litters.

The species feeds on ants, larvae of beetles, small snails and earthworms, as well as eating the fruits of Opuntia and living on Opuntia Cochenilleschildlaus ( Dactylopius coccus ). Herbivores are barn owls (Tyto alba) and Canary shrew ( Crocidura canariensis).

System

We distinguish between no subspecies of purple Aria Skinks.

Documents

• Dieter Glandt: Pocket Encyclopaedia of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8, pp. 260-262.