''Emoia slevini'', also known
commonly as the Mariana skink, Slevin's brown skink, Slevin's emo skink, and Slevin's skink, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Scincidae. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the
Mariana Islands.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''slevini'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Joseph Richard Slevin
Joseph Richard Slevin (September 13, 1881 – February 17, 1957) was an American herpetologist and the second curator of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, with which he was affiliated for over 50 years. He collected reptile and a ...
.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''E. slevini'' is
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, at altitudes from sea level to .
Description
''E. slevini'' is a moderately large-sized species for its
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
. Adults have a snout-to-vent length of .
[ Brown WC, Falanruw MVC (1972), p. 107.]
Reproduction
''E. slevini'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Brown WC (1991). "Lizards of the Genus ''Emoia'' (Scincidae) with Observations on Their Evolution and Biogeography". ''Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences'' (13): 1–94. (''Emoia slevini'', pp. 15–16, Figure 8).
*Brown WC, Falanruw MVC (1972). "A new lizard of the genus ''Emoia'' (Scincidae) from the Marianas Islands". ''Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences'' 39 (9): 105–110. (''Emoia slevini'', new species).
* Goldberg SR (2017). "''Emoia slevini'' (Slevin's Brown Skink) Reproduction". ''Herpetological Review'' 48 (3): 643–644.
* Greer AE (1974). "The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus ''Leiolopisma'' and its relatives". ''Australian Journal of Zoology Supplemental Series'' 22 (31): 1–67. (''Emoia slevini'', p. 20).
* McCoid MJ, Rodda GH, Fritts TH (1995). "Distribution and Abundance of ''Emoia slevini'' (Scincidae) in the Mariana Islands". ''Herpetological Review'' 29 (2): 70, 72.
Emoia
Reptiles described in 1972
Taxa named by Walter Creighton Brown
Taxa named by Marjorie V.C. Falanruw
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