Scincella gemmingeri, commonly known as the forest ground skink, Cope's forest ground skink, and la escíncela de bosque de Cope in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Scincella gemmingeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Scincella
Species:
S. gemmingeri
Binomial name
Scincella gemmingeri
(Cope, 1864)
Synonyms[2]
  • Oligosoma gemmingeri
    Cope, 1864
  • Lygosoma (Mocoa) gemmingeri
    Bocourt, 1881
  • Lygosoma laterale (part)
    Boulenger, 1887
  • Leiolopisma gemmingeri
    Taylor, 1937
  • Scincella gemmingeri
    H.M. Smith & Taylor, 1950

Etymology

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The specific name, gemmingeri, is in honor of German coleopterist Max Gemminger (1820–1887).[3]

Geographic range

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S. gemmingeri is found in the coastal regions of the Mexican state of Veracruz and various surrounding states.[1]

Habitat

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As its common name implies, the forest ground skink occurs primarily in forests, especially rainforests, oak forests, cloud forests, and tropical evergreen forests, at altitudes of 200–2,000 m (660–6,560 ft), although it is also sometimes found on pastureland.[1]

Conservation status

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S. gemmingeri faced no major threats as of 2020.[1]

Reproduction

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S. gemmingeri is ovoviparous.[2]

Description

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Like all members of the genus Scincella, S. gemmingeri is long and cylindrical, with short limbs. Its color is dark gray, and it has a dark stripe originating at the snout and running dorsolaterally along its body. Its maximum snout-vent length (SVL) is about 45 mm (1.8 in).[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Canseco-Márquez, L. (2007). "Scincella gemmingeri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T64244A12758098. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64244A12758098.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Species Scincella gemmingeri at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Scincella gemmingeri, p. 99).

Further reading

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  • Cope ED (1864). "Contributions to the Herpetology of Tropical America". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 16: 166-181. (Oligosoma gemmingeri, new species, p. 180).
  • García-Vásquez, Uri; Feria-Ortiz, Manuel (2006). "Skinks of Mexico". Reptilia (49): 74-79.
  • García-Vázquez UO, Mendoza-Hernández AA (2007). "Scincella gemmingeri. Geographic Distribution". Herpetological Review 38 (2): 218–220.
  • Perea-Pérez, A.; Peralta-Hernández, R.; García-Vázquez, U.O. (2019). "Reproduction. Scincella gemmingeri (Cope's Forest Ground Skink)". Herpetological Review 50 (4): 791.