''Phasmasaurus tillieri'',
commonly known as Tillier's maquis 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. It 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
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
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 ...
, ''tillieri'', is in honor of French zoologist
Simon Tillier.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lioscincus tillieri'', p. 266).]
Geographic range
''P. tillieri'' is found in southern New Caledonia.
[
]
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 ...
s of ''P. tillieri'' are grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
and shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
, at altitudes up to .[
]
Description
''P. tillieri'' may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The tail is extremely long, up to three times SVL. The limbs and digits are well-developed.[
]
Reproduction
The mode of reproduction of ''P. tillieri'' is not known.[
]
References
Further reading
* Bauer AM, Sadlier RA (1993). "Systematics, biogeography and conservation of the lizards of New Caledonia". ''Biodiversity Letters'' 1: 107–122. (''Lioscincus tillieri'', new combination).
* Ineich I, Sadlier RA (1991). "A new species of scincid lizard from New Caledonia, South Pacific Ocean (Reptilia: Lacertilia: Scincidae)". ''Mémoires du Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Série A Zoologie'' 149: 343–348. (''Leiolopisma tillieri'', new species).
*Sadlier RA, Bauer AM, Shea GM, Smith SA (2015). "Taxonomic resolution to the problem of polyphyly in the New Caledonian scincid lizard genus ''Lioscincus'' (Squamata: Scincidae)". ''Records of the Australian Museum'' 67 (7): 207–224. (''Phasmasaurus tillieri'', new combination).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q56055127
Phasmasaurus
Reptiles described in 1991
Skinks of New Caledonia
Endemic fauna of New Caledonia
Taxa named by Ivan Ineich
Taxa named by Ross Allen Sadlier