''Phoboscincus garnieri'', also known
commonly as Garnier's giant skink and Garnier's skink, 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
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
New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
.
[
]
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 ...
, ''garnieri'', is in honor of French mining engineer Jules Garnier
Jacque Jules Garnier (25 November 1839 in Saint-ÉtienneFrench National Archives Legion of Honour Records (Dossier L1077027) http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/LH/LH078/PG/FRDAFAN83_OL1077027v001.htm (accessed 24 June 2018) – 8 March 1904 in Gorbio) wa ...
.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phoboscincus garnieri'', p. 98).]
Habitat
''P. garnieri'' is found in a wide variety of natural and artificial habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, including the supralittoral zone
The supralittoral zone, also known as the splash zone, spray zone or the supratidal zone, sometimes also referred to as the white zone, is the area above the spring high tide line, on coastlines and estuaries, that is regularly splashed, but not su ...
, shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
, savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
, forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, gardens, and farmland, at altitudes up to .
Behavior
''P. garnieri'' is terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
and diurnal. It is secretive, hiding in holes in the ground or beneath logs and rocks, and hunting in dense vegetation and litter.
Reproduction
The mode of reproduction of ''P. garnieri'' is unknown.[
]
References
Further reading
*Bavay
Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bavaisiens'' or ''Bavaisiennes''
Geography
Bavay ...
(1869). "''Catalogue des Reptiles de las Nouvelle-Calédonie et description d'espèces nouvelles'' ". ''Mémoires de la Société linnéene de Normandie'' 15: 1–37. ("''Gongylus (Eumeces) garnieri'' ", new species, p. 15). (in French).
* Böhme W (1976). "''Über die Gattung ''Eugongylus'' Fitzinger, mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art (Reptilia: Scincidae)''". ''Bonner Zoologische Beiträge'' 27: 245–251. (''Eugongylus garnieri'', new combination). (in German).
* Greer AE (1974). "The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus ''Leiolopisma'' and its relatives". ''Australian Journal of Zoology Supplemental Series'' 22 (31): 1–67. (''Phoboscincus garnieri'', new combination).
* Smith MA (1937). "A Review of the Genus ''Lygosoma'' and its Allies". ''Records of the Indian Museum'' 39 (3): 213–235. ("''Riopa (Eugongylus) garnieri'' ", new combination, p. 229).
Phoboscincus
Reptiles described in 1869
Skinks of New Caledonia
Endemic fauna of New Caledonia
Taxa named by Arthur René Jean Baptiste Bavay
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