''Eumeces blythianus'',
commonly known as Blyth'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 native to
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''blythianus'', is in honor of English zoologist
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the museum of the Asiatic Society of India in Calcutta.
Blyth was born in London in 1810. In 1841 ...
(1810–1873), Curator of the Museum of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal
The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...
.
[ Beolens B Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Eumeces blythianus'', p. 28).]
Geographic range
''E. blythianus'' is found in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
), and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
Reproduction
The
mode of reproduction of ''E. blythianus'' is unknown.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Anderson J (1871). "On two Saurian genera ''Eurylpis'' and ''Plocederma'', Blyth, with a description of a new species of ''Mabouia'', Fitzinger". ''Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'' 1871: 180–192. ("''Mabouia Blythianus'' ", new species, pp. 186–188).
* 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. (''Eumeces blythianus'', p. 385).
* Finn F (1898). "Note on a specimen of the rare Scincoid Lizard ''Eumeces blythianus'', (Anderson) from the Afridi Country; with exhibition of the type specimen". ''Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal'' 1898: 189.
* Schmitz A, Mausfeld P, Embert D (2004). "Molecular studies on the genus ''Eumeces'' Wiegmann, 1834: phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic implications". ''Hamadryad'' 28 (1-2): 73–89. (''Eumeces schneideri blythianus'', p. 74).
* Smith MA (1935). ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria.'' London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (''Eumeces blythianus'', pp. 340–341).
* Taylor EH (1936) 935
Year 935 ( CMXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – Arnulf I ("the Bad") of Bavaria invades Italy, crossing through the Upper ...
"A taxonomic study of the cosmopolitan lizards of the genus ''Eumeces'' with an account of the distribution and relationship of its species". ''University of Kansas Science Bulletin'' 23 (14): 1–643.
Eumeces
Taxa named by John Anderson (zoologist)
Reptiles described in 1871
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