|
Woodbush Legless Skink
The woodbush legless skink (''Acontias rieppeli'') is a species of legless skink. It is found in the Wolkberg mountains of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Females of the species give birth to live young. This lizard species was formerly placed in a monotypic (single species) genus as ''Acontophiops lineatus''. Morphologically the genus shows similarities to ''Acontias cregoi'' (formerly ''Typhlosaurus cregoi'') and a recent review placed both of these within the genus ''Acontias'', which, as ''Acontias lineatus ''Acontias lineatus'', the striped dwarf legless skink or lined lance skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is found in South Africa and Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Souther ...'' was already occupied, required a new name for this species. References Acontias Endemic reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 2010 {{skink-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions. Description Skinks look like lizards of the family Lacertidae (sometimes called ''true lizards''), but most species of skinks have no pronounced neck and relatively small legs. Several genera (e.g., ''Typhlosaurus'') have no limbs at all. This is not true for all skinks, however, as some species such as the red-eyed crocodile skink have a head that is very distinguished from the body. These lizards also have legs that are relatively small proportional to their body size. Skinks' skulls are covered by substantial bony scales, usually matching up in shape and size, while overlapping. Other gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolkberg
The Wolkberg is a mountain range in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is a northern termination and a subrange of the Drakensberg mountain range which lines up from Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga. At 2200 m (7200 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain range in Limpopo, together with the Iron crown mountain. Its Meteorological significance is that it brings along cold fronts and is a source of cold winters throughout the Limpopo province, the cold front gets transferred from greater Drakensberg mountains in Kwazulu Natal all the way to the Wolkberg. Without the Wolkberg, Limpopo will not experience cold winters at all . The range extends for about in a NW/SE direction north of Sekhukhuneland. The nearest towns are Haenertsburg and Tzaneen. Physiography The range forms a high plateau reaching up to 2126 m in height at the Ysterkroon, its highest point. Other conspicuous peaks are 2050 m high Serala, 1838 m high M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is situated in Lebowakgomo. The province is made up of 3 former homelands of Lebowa, Gazankulu and Venda and the former parts of the Transvaal province. The Limpopo province was established as one of the new nine provinces after South Africa's first democratic election on the 27th of April 1994. The province's name was first "Northern Transvaal", later changed to "Northern Province" on the 28th of June 1995, together with two other provinces. The name was later changed again in 2002 to the Limpopo province. Limpopo is made up of 3 main ethnic groups namely; Pedi people, Tsonga and Venda people. Traditional leaders and chiefs still form a strong backbone of the province's political landscape. Established in terms of the Limpopo House of Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. With over 60 million people, the country is the world's 24th-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town respectively. The largest city is Johannesburg. About 80% of the population are Black South Afri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ovoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop inside eggs that remain in the mother's body until they are ready to hatch. The young of some ovoviviparous amphibians, such as ''Limnonectes larvaepartus'', are born as larvae, and undergo further metamorphosis outside the body of the mother. Members of genera ''Nectophrynoides'' and ''Eleutherodactylus'' bear froglets, not only the hatching, but all the most conspicuous metamorphosis, being completed inside the body of the mother before birth. Among insects that depend on opportunistic exploitation of transient food sources, such as many Sarcophagidae and other carrion flies, and species such as many Calliphoridae, that rely on fresh dung, and parasitoids such as tachinid flies that depend on entering the host as soon as possible, the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotypic Taxon
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispecific" or "monospecific" is sometimes preferred. In botanical nomenclature, a monotypic genus is a genus in the special case where a genus and a single species are simultaneously described. In contrast, an oligotypic taxon contains more than one but only a very few subordinate taxa. Examples Just as the term ''monotypic'' is used to describe a taxon including only one subdivision, the contained taxon can also be referred to as monotypic within the higher-level taxon, e.g. a genus monotypic within a family. Some examples of monotypic groups are: Plants * In the order Amborellales, there is only one family, Amborellaceae and there is only one genus, '' Amborella'', and in this genus there is only one species, namely ''Amborella trichopoda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acontias Cregoi
''Acontias cregoi'', commonly known as Cregoe's legless skink, Cregoi's blind legless skink, and Cregoi's legless skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. Etymology The specific name, ''cregoi'', is in honor of John P. Cregoe who presented the holotype to the British Museum. Habitat The preferred natural habitat of ''A. cregoi'' is grassland, at altitudes of . Description The holotype of ''A. cregoi'' has a total length of 15 cm (6 inches), which includes a tail 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. Boulenger GA (1903). Reproduction ''A. cregoi'' is viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m .... References Further reading * Boulenger GA (1903). "Descriptions of new Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum". ''Ann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acontias
''Acontias'' is a genus of limbless skinks, the lance skinks, (family Scincidae) in the African subfamily Acontinae.Branch 2004. Most are small animals, but the largest member of the genus is ''Acontias plumbeus'' at approximately snout-vent length. All members of this genus are live-bearing sandswimmers, with fused eyelids. A recent review moved species that were formerly placed in the genera ''Typhlosaurus'', ''Acontophiops'', and ''Microacontias'' into this genus, as together these form a single branch in the tree of life. This new concept of ''Acontias'' is a sister lineage to ''Typhlosaurus'', and these two genera are the only genera within the subfamily Acontinae. Species These 26 species are recognized:"''Acontias'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. * ''Acontias albigularis'' Conradie, Busschau, & Edwards, 2018 – white-throated legless skink * ''Acontias aurantiacus'' ( W. Peters, 1854) – golden blind legless skink * '' Acontias bicolor'' ( He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acontias Lineatus
''Acontias lineatus'', the striped dwarf legless skink or lined lance skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is found in South Africa and Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea .... References {{Taxonbar, from=Q2823402 Acontias Reptiles described in 1879 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Reptiles Of South Africa
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 (ecology), indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example ''Cytisus, Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. ''Enidae, Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a Invasive species, non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Endemic Reptiles Of South Africa")