''Ateuchosaurus pellopleurus'', the Ryukyu short-legged skink, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

. It is found in the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Taxonomy

Whilst ''A. pellopleurus'' was originally recognized as a single species ranging across the Osumi, Tokara,

Amami The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is a Japanese archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is sout ...

, and

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Groups of the

Ryukyu Archipelago The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

, molecular analysis has found that the skinks in the Osumi and Amami groups are distinct from those in the Okinawa group. ''A. pellopleurus''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

is now the name for the species in the Osumi and Amami groups, whilst '' A. okinavensis'' is resurrected for the species in the Okinawa group.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the leaf litter of forest floors and grasslands, including small vegetation around

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

s. It occurs on Mishima of the Osumi Group, and the Tokara and

Groups of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The congeneric species '' Ateuchosaurus okinavensis'' is present in the

group, where ''A. pellopleurus'' is absent. A skeletal remain, likely dating from the late 19th century, has been found on

Yoronjima , also known as Yoron, is one of the Amami Islands. The island, 20.8 km2 (8 sq. mi.) in area, has a population of approximately 6,000 people, and is administered as the town of Yoron, Kagoshima. Much of the island is within the borders of t ...

Island, but it is unclear if this represents ''A. pellopleurus'' or ''A. okinavensis'' as Yoronjima is outside the current range of either species.

Threats

On Iojima Island, the local population is preyed upon by the introduced

Indian peafowl The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, or blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. While it originated in the Indian subcontinent, it has since been introduced to many other part ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2868952 pellopleurus Reptiles of Japan] Reptiles described in 1861 Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)