''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', commonly known as the European copper skink, European snake-eyed skink, juniper skink, or snake-eyed skink, is a species of

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. Ski ...

, a

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 alt ...

in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia.

Geographic range

''A. kitaibelii'' is native to Greece (including the Aegean Islands), Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Albania, Slovakia, the Caucasus, Turkey,

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and possibly Iraq. The

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

''A. k. fitzingeri'' is known from Slovakia, Hungary, Greece and the island of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

. The subspecies ''A. k. stepaneki'' is known from Bulgaria and Romania. Also

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

Description

A small, slender lizard, ''A. kitaibelii'' grows up to in total length (including tail). The skin is bronze-coloured, with dark sides. The eyelids are immovable, in contrast to many other skinks.

Habitat and behaviour

''A. kitaibelii'' is a shy species, which lives under stones and leaves in dry places, such as south slopes, fields, and meadows. It is active during twilight, and hunts for insects and small snails. It is a typical ground dweller, and dislikes climbing.

Reproduction

''A. kitabelii'' 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), and ...

Taxonomy

Many former subspecies of ''Ablepharus kitaibelii'' have been promoted to categorization as species, such as ''

Ablepharus rueppellii ''Ablepharus rueppellii'', known commonly as Rüppell's snake-eyed skink, is a species of skink found in the Middle East. It was formerly considered a subspecies of ''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', but has since been distinguished. What is currently r ...

'' and ''

Ablepharus budaki ''Ablepharus budaki'', commonly known as Budak's skink and Budak's snake-eyed skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Near East. Taxonomy ''A. budaki'' is a scincid saurian vertebrate. In 1997, it wa ...

''.

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 ...

, ''kitaibelii'', is in honor of Hungarian botanist

Paul Kitaibel Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', p. 142).

References

External links

* Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). ''A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe''. (Illustrated by D.W. Ovenden). London: Collins. 271 pp. + Plates 1-40. . (''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', pp. 178-179 + Plate 32 + Map 95). * Bibron Bory de Saint-Vincent B(1833). "''Vertébrés a sang froid. Reptiles'' ". pp. 57-76. ''In'': Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire I, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire É (1833). ''Expédition scientifique de Morée. Tome III.—1.re Partie. Zoologie.'' Paris and Strasbourg: F.G. Levrault. ("''Ablepharis'' ic''Kitaibelii'' ", new species, pp. 69-70). (in French). * Duméril AMC,

Bibron Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hir ...

(1839). ''Erpétologie générale ou Histoire naturelle complète des Reptiles. Tome cinquième'' olume 5 Paris: Roret. viii + 854 pp. (''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', pp. 809-811). (in French). {{Taxonbar, from=Q931333 Ablepharus Lizards of Europe Lizards of Asia Reptiles described in 1833 Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent