Mokohinau skink

Mokohinau skink
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Genus:Oligosoma
Species: O. townsi
Binomial name
Oligosoma townsi
(Chapple et al., 2008)
Synonyms[1]
  • Cyclodina townsi
    Chapple et al., 2008
  • Oligosoma townsi
    — Chapple et al., 2009

The Mokohinau skink (Oligosoma townsi, formerly Cyclodina townsi) is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to New Zealand.

Etymology

The specific name, townsi, is in honor of Kiwi herpetologist David Towns.[2]

Geographic range

In New Zealand O. townsi is now found in the Northland area including Three Kings Islands, the Poor Knights Islands and other offshore islands.[3]

Habitat

O. townsi occupies broadleaf forest and low scrub, usually amongst boulders and rock screes.

Reproduction and behaviour

O. townsi is viviparous and is believed to be nocturnal.

Description

O. townsi reaches a maximum body size of about 87 millimetres (3.4 in) snout-vent length (SVL).[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Oligosoma townsi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cyclodina townsi, p. 267).
  3. ↑ Chapple DG, Ritchie PA, Daugherty CH (2009). "Origin, diversification, and systematics of the New Zealand skink fauna (Reptilia: Scincidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 52 (2): 470–87. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.03.021. PMID 19345273.
  4. ↑ Chapple DG, Patterson GB, Gleeson DM, Daugherty CH, Ritchie PA (2008). "Taxonomic revision of the marbled skink (Cyclodina oliveri, Reptilia: Scincidae) species complex, with a description of a new species". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 35 (2): 129–146. doi:10.1080/03014220809510110. (Cyclodina townsi, new species).


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