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Fire Skink
The fire skink (''Lepidothyris fernandi)'', also known commonly as Fernand's skink, the Togo fire skink, and the true fire skink, is a fairly large skink, a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is known for its bright and vivid coloration. Native to tropical forests in West and Central Africa, the fire skink lives fifteen to twenty years. This species is a diurnal lizard that burrows and hides. It is relatively shy and reclusive, but may become tame in captivity. Etymology The specific name, ''fernandi'', refers to the island formerly known as Fernando Po, which has been called Bioko since 1979. It is known in the Yoruba language, spoken in Western Africa, as Oloronto. Taxonomy Historically, the fire skink has been placed in several different genera and was until recently placed in '' Riopa'' together with several skinks from southeast Asia. While these are superficially similar to the African fire skink, they are closer to some other Asian skinks, resultin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Burton (zoologist)
Edward Burton FRS FLS (1790 – 11 March 1867) was a British Army surgeon and a zoologist. He was also a magistrate for Kent. Life Little is known of Burton's life. He may have studied at St. George's Hospital, London. The earliest record of his military career is in 1813, when he was attached to the 12th Foot, and was promoted from Hospital-Mate to Assistant-Surgeon. In 1818, he transferred between units. In 1826, he was attached to the 9th Light Dragoons, and was promoted Surgeon to the Forces. In 1837, he retired on half-pay. Burton was stationed at Fort Pitt, Chatham from 1829 to 1837. In 1838, he compiled ''A Catalogue of the Collection of Mammalia and Birds in the Museum of the Army Medical Department at Fort Pitt, Chatham''. He wrote in its Preface, "This task has been undertaken at such broken and uncertain periods as his professional duties left at the disposal of its author". He described several species of bird, for some of which he is the valid binomial au ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Specific Name (zoology)
In zoological nomenclature, the specific name (also specific epithet, species epithet, or epitheton) is the second part (the second name) within the scientific name of a species (a binomen). The first part of the name of a species is the name of the genus or the generic name. The rules and regulations governing the giving of a new species name are explained in the article species description. For example, the scientific name for humans is ''Homo sapiens'', which is the species name, consisting of two names: ''Homo'' is the " generic name" (the name of the genus) and ''sapiens'' is the "specific name". Etymology Historically, ''specific name'' referred to the combination of what are now called the generic and specific names. Carl Linnaeus, who formalized binomial nomenclature, made explicit distinctions between specific, generic, and trivial names. The generic name was that of the genus, the first in the binomial, the trivial name was the second name in the binomial, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gabon
Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of and a population of million people. There are coastal plains, mountains (the Crystal Mountains (Africa), Cristal Mountains and the Chaillu Massif in the centre), and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country's capital and largest city. Gabon's original inhabitants were the African Pygmies, Bambenga. In the 14th century, Bantu expansion, Bantu migrants also began settling in the area. The Kingdom of Orungu was established around 1700. France colonised the region in the late 19th century. Since its independence from France in 1960, Gabon has had four President of Gabon, presidents. In the 1990s, it introduced a multi-party system and a democratic constitution that aimed for a more tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and environments ranging from savannas to rainforests. As of the 2023 census, Sierra Leone has a population of 8,460,512. Freetown is its capital and largest city. Sierra Leone is a presidential republic, with a unicameral parliament and a directly elected president. It is a secular state. Its Constitution of Sierra Leone, constitution provides for the separation of state and religion and freedom of conscience. Muslims constitute three-quarters of the population, and there is a significant Christian minority. Notably, religious tolerance is very high. Sierra Leone's current territorial configuration was established in two phases: in 1808, the coastal Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate, Sierra Leone Colony was founded as a place to resettle retu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sierra Leone and Liberia to the south. It is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry, after its capital Conakry, to distinguish it from other territories in the Guinea (region), eponymous region, such as Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. Guinea has a population of 14 million and an area of . Formerly French Guinea, it achieved independence in 1958. Guinea has a history of military coup d'état, coups d'état.Nicholas Bariyo & Benoit FauconMilitary Faction Stages Coup in Mineral-Rich Guinea ''Wall Street Journal'' (5 September 2021).Krista LarsonEXPLAINER: Why is history repeating itself in Guinea's coup? Associated Press (7 September 2021).Danielle PaquettHere's what we know about the unfolding coup in Guinea ''Washington Post'' (6 Septembe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochlus Striatus
''Mochlus striatus'' is a species of skink. It is endemic to Central Africa and found in Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. It inhabits rainforest areas, swamps, and coastal forests. ''Mochlus striatus'' measure in snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos .... References {{Taxonbar, from=Q111372069, from2=Q3229946 Mochlus Skinks of Africa Reptiles of Cameroon Reptiles of the Central African Republic Reptiles of Gabon Reptiles of the Republic of the Congo Reptiles described in 1854 Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochlus Hinkeli
''Mochlus hinkeli'', also known commonly as Hinkel's red-flanked skink and Hinkel's red-sided skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to eastern Central Africa and East Africa. There are two recognized subspecies. Etymology The specific name, ''hinkeli'', is in honor of German herpetologist Harald Hinkel. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lepidothyris hinkeli'', p. 124). Geographic range ''M. hinkeli'' is found in northern Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, western Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Habitat The preferred natural habitat of ''M. hinkeli'' is forest. Description ''M. hinkeli'' measures in snout-to-vent length (SVL). Behavior ''M. hinkeli'' is terrestrial and diurnal. Reproduction ''M. hinkeli'' is oviparous. Clutch size may be as many as 12 egg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxonomy (biology)
In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given a taxonomic rank; groups of a given rank can be aggregated to form a more inclusive group of higher rank, thus creating a taxonomic hierarchy. The principal ranks in modern use are domain (biology), domain, kingdom (biology), kingdom, phylum (''division'' is sometimes used in botany in place of ''phylum''), class (biology), class, order (biology), order, family (biology), family, genus, and species. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is regarded as the founder of the current system of taxonomy, having developed a ranked system known as Linnaean taxonomy for categorizing organisms. With advances in the theory, data and analytical technology of biological systematics, the Linnaean system has transfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochlus
''Mochlus'' is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is endemic to Africa. Description Skinks of the genus ''Mochlus'' are cylindrical in shape and robust. They get the common name "writhing skinks" from the side-to-side movement that they make when held in the hand. Diet Skinks in the genus ''Mochlus'' feed on insects and millipedes.Alexander, Graham; Marais, Johan (2008). ''A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. 408 pp. . ("Writhing Skinks", pp. 247-248). Species The following 19 species are recognized as being valid. *'' Mochlus brevicaudis'' *''Mochlus fernandi'' – fire skink *'' Mochlus grandisonianus'' – Lanza's writhing skink *'' Mochlus guineensis'' – Guinean forest skink *''Mochlus hinkeli'' – Hinkel's red-sided skink, Hinkel's red-flanked skink *'' Mochlus laeviceps'' (W. Peters, 1874) – common writhing skink *'' Mochlus lanceolatus'' Broadley, 1990 – Broadley's writhing sk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riopa
''Riopa'' is a genus of skinks. It is easy to tell the species apart from most other skinks by bright red coloring on their sides from which they get their name. They also have a bule that runs down the side of their tail. Diet The riopas are omnivore reptiles, they usually eat insects like crickets or worms, but sometimes, they can eat little pieces of meat (usually little mice) Species The following species are recognized. *'' Riopa albopunctata'' (Gray, 1846) – white-spotted supple skink *'' Riopa anguina'' (Theobald, 1868) *'' Riopa deccanensis'' Bhupathi, Ray, Karuthapandi, Jaiswal, Deepak & Mohapatra, 2025 – Deccan Gracile Skink *'' Riopa goaensis'' (Sharma, 1976) – Goan supple skink *'' Riopa guentheri '' ( W. Peters, 1879) – Günther's supple skink, Günther's writhing skink *'' Riopa lineata'' Gray, 1839 – lined supple skink *'' Riopa lineolata'' ( Stoliczka, 1870) – striped writhing skink *'' Riopa popae'' ( Shreve, 1940) – Pope's writhing skink *'' Ri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants of an ancestral taxon are grouped together (i.e. Phylogeneti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoruba Language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern and Middle Belt, Central Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including around 2 million second-language or L2 speakers. As a pluricentric language, it is primarily spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with smaller migrated communities in Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Yoruba vocabulary is also used in African diaspora religions such as the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, the Caribbean religion of Santería in the form of the liturgical Lucumí language, and various Afro-American religions of North America. Most modern practitioners of these religions in the Americas are not fluent in the Yoruba language, yet they still use Yoruba words and phrases for songs or chants—rooted in cultural traditions. For such pra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
