Vesey-Fitzgerald's Burrowing Skink

Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi is a Skinkart, which is endemic to the Seychelles. The specific epithet honors the Irish entomologists Leslie Desmond Edward Foster Vesey - Fitzgerald.

Features

Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi reaches a head-body length of 37 mm. The length of the front legs is 4.5 mm, the number of scale rows around mid-body 22 before the Subocularen there are two upper lip shields. The body coloration is uniformly dark.

Dissemination

Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi occurs on the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, Curieuse, Félicité, La Digue and Fregate in Seychelles. It is a Tieflandart, which can be observed at altitudes from sea level to 400 m. On Mahé Janetaescincus is veseyfitzgeraldi only from the region of Mont Sebert known.

Way of life

Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi lays one to two eggs in a nest of leaves and litter on the forest floor. On the nature of interference is sensitive.

Status

The IUCN classified the species in the category of " high risk " ( endangered ) a. 2005, the conservationists Justin Gerlach estimated the population to 36 042 ± 1513 individuals. The main hazard is due to the predation by introduced Large tenrecs ( Tenrec Ecaudatus ) and by habitat loss. 42 percent of the population lives on the island silhouette.

System

The species status of Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi is controversial. The first description of Hampton Wildman Parker was 1947 veseyfitzgeraldi as Amphiglossus. 1970 transferred Eddy Allen Greer this species in the genus Janetaescincus. 1984 looked at the British zoologist Anthony Cheke Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi as a synonym of Janetaescincus braueri, but this is currently not universally accepted.