''Parvoscincus tagapayo'', the Aurora mountain 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), ...
of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Scincidae. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''tagapayo'', is a
Tagalog word meaning "wise entrusted friend, advisor, or mentor", referring to American herpetologist
Walter Creighton Brown
Walter may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...
, in whose honor this species is named.
[ Beolens B, Watkins M, ]Grayson M
Grayson may refer to:
Places Canada
* Grayson, Saskatchewan
* Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184, Saskatchewan
United States
* Grayson, California
* Grayson, Georgia
** Grayson High School
* Grayson, Kentucky
* Grayson, Louisiana
* Gray ...
(2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Sphenomorphus tagapayo'', p. 41).
Geographic range
''P. tagapayo'' is found on the island of
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
, Philippines.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
of ''P. tagapayo'' is forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
, at altitudes of .[
]
Reproduction
The mode of reproduction of ''P. tagapayo'' is unknown.[
]
References
Further reading
* Brown RM, McGuire JA, Ferner JW, Alcala AC (19999). "New Species of Diminutive Scincid Lizard (Squamata: Lygosominae: ''Sphenomorphus'') from Luzon Island, Republic of the Philippines". ''Copeia'' 1999 (2): 362–370. (''Sphenomorphus tagapayo'', new species).
*Brown RM, McGuire JA, Ferner JW, Icarangal N, Kennedy RS (2000). "Amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island, II: preliminary report on the herpetofauna of Aurora Memorial National Park, Philippines". ''Hamadryad'' 25 (2): 175–195.
* Linkem CW, Diesmos AC, Brown RM (2011). "Molecular systematics of the Philippine forest skinks (Squamata: Scincidae: ''Sphenomorphus''): testing morphological hypotheses of interspecific relationships". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 163: 1217–1243. (''Parvoscincus tagapayo'', new combination).
Parvoscincus
Reptiles described in 1999
Taxa named by Rafe M. Brown
Taxa named by Jimmy Adair McGuire
Taxa named by John W. Ferner
Taxa named by Angel Chua Alcala
{{Sphenomorphinae-stub