McDowell's blind snake (''Gerrhopilus mcdowelli)'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...
of
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Gerrhopilidae.
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 ...
, ''mcdowelli'', is in honor of American
herpetologist Samuel Booker McDowell Jr.
Samuel Booker McDowell Jr. (1928–2014) was an American herpetologist who worked on the comparative anatomy of turtles and snakes, and studied snakes of Oceania.
McDowell earned a B.Sc. (1947) and a Ph.D. (1957) from Columbia University, and ...
.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Typhlops mcdowelli'', p. 173).]
Geographic range
''G. mcdowelli'' 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 elsew ...
to
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
.
[
]
Reproduction
''G. mcdowelli'' 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 ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Vidal, Nicolas; Marin, Julie; Morini, Marina; Donnellan, Steve; Branch, William R.; Thomas, Richard; Vences, Miguel; Wynn, Addison; Cruaud, Corinne; Hedges, S. Blair (2010). "Blindsnake evolutionary tree reveals long history on Gondwana". ''Biology Letters'' 6: 558–561. (''Gerrhopilus mcdowelli'', new combination, p. 560).
* Wallach V (1996). "Two New Blind Snakes of the ''Typhlops ater'' Group from Papua New Guinea". ''Russian Journal of Herpetology'' 3 (2): 107–118. (''Typhlops mcdowelli'', new species).
Gerrhopilus
Reptiles described in 1996
Taxa named by Van Wallach
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