''Lipinia pulchella'', known
commonly as the yellow-striped slender tree skink or beautiful lipinia, 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
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
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. The species 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 the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Subspecies
Three
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 ...
are recognized as being valid, including the
nominotypical 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 ...
.
[. www.reptile-database.org.]
*''
Lipinia pulchella levitoni
''Lipinia'' is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. Species in the genus ''Lipinia'' are commonly called lipinias.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Lipinia'' belongs to the '' Sphenomorphus'' group of genera in which ''Lipinia'' has a rathe ...
''
*''Lipinia pulchella pulchella''
*''
Lipinia pulchella taylori''
''
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
trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in 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 ...
other than ''Lipinia''.
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 ...
, ''levitoni'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Alan Edward Leviton (born 1930).
The specific name, ''taylori'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Edward Harrison Taylor (1889–1978).
[Brown WC, Alcala AC (1956).]
Habitat
''L. pulchella'' is found at elevations of above sea level throughout the whole country of the Philippines, though its three subspecies occupy smaller geographical regions, which do not necessarily overlap. The skink is found on trunks of trees in the
dipterocarp
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...
or
submontane
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...
tropical moist forests.
[
]
Reproduction
''L. pulchella'' 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
* Boulenger GA (1887). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (''Lygosoma pulchellum'', pp. 254-255 + Plate XVII, figures 1, 1a, 1b).
* Brown WC, Alcala AC (1956). "A review of the Philippine lizards of the genus ''Lygosoma (Leiolopisma)'' ". ''Occasional Papers, Natural History Museum, Stanford University'' (3): 1–10. (''Lygosoma pulchellum taylori'', new subspecies, p. 8).
*Brown WC, Alcala AC (1963). "Additions to the leiolopismid lizards known from the Philippines, with descriptions of a new species and subspecies". ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' 76: 69–79. (''Lygosoma pulchellum levitoni'', new subspecies, pp. 78–79).
* Gray JE (1845). ''Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Edward Newman, printer). xxviii + 289 pp. (''Lipinia pulchella'', new species, p. 84).
Lipinia
Reptiles of the Philippines
Reptiles described in 1845
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
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