''Janetaescincus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of burrowing

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 ...

s (

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 ...

Scincidae)

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 the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

Etymology

The generic name, ''Janetaescincus'', is in honor of Janet Greer, who is the younger of the two sisters of

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

Allen E. Greer.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Janetaescincus'' is usually placed in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Scincinae Scincinae is a subfamily of lizards. The subfamily contains 33 genera, and the genera contain a combined total of 284 species, commonly called skinks. The systematics is at times controversial. The group is probably paraphyletic. It is one of thr ...

, which seems to be paraphyletic however. Probably quite close to ''

Pamelaescincus gardineri Gardiner's burrowing skink (''Pamelaescincus gardineri'') is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. ''P. gardineri'' is the only species in the (monotypic) skink genus ''Pamelaescincus''. Etymology The generic name, ''Pamelaescincus'', ...

'', the genus ''Janetaescincus'' belongs to a major

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

which does not seem to include the type genus ''

Scincus ''Scincus'' is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus contains four or five species, all of which are typical desert inhabitants, living in sandy and dune-like areas with a hot and dry climate. Species in the genus ''Scinc ...

''. Thus, ''Janetaescincus'' will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily. (Austin & Arnold 2006)

Species

Two

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 ...

are recognized as being valid."''Janetaescincus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Janetaescincus braueri Brauer's burrowing skink (''Janetaescincus braueri''), also known commonly as Brauer's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Seychelles. Etymology The specific name, ''braueri'', is in honor of Ge ...

'' *''

Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi Vesey-Fitzgerald's burrowing skink (''Janetaescincus veseyfitzgeraldi'') is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Seychelles. Etymology The specific epithet, ''veseyfitzgeraldi'', commemorates the Irish ecol ...

'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Janetaescincus''.

References

External links

Monitoring and conservation of Seychelles reptiles and amphibians
Janetaescincus Lizard genera Taxa named by Allen Eddy Greer {{skink-stub

Etymology

Taxonomy

Species

References

Further reading

External links