Menetia greyii
Common dwarf skink | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Scincidae |
Genus: | Menetia |
Species: | M. greyii
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Binomial name | |
Menetia greyii Gray, 1845
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Menetia greyii, commonly known as the common dwarf skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to mainland Australia and Indonesia.
Etymology[]
The specific name, greyii, is in honor of explorer George Grey, who became Governor of South Australia and later Governor of New Zealand.[1]
Geographic range[]
One of Australia's most widespread and abundant lizards, M. greyii occurs in all parts of the mainland except coastal areas in the south-east, and Cape York Peninsula.[2]
Habitat[]
M. greyii is common in disturbed areas such as urban backyards, and is therefore fairly well known.[2]
Description[]
M. greyii is a very small skink with smooth scales and prominent limbs. Dorsally, it is grey to brown, usually with a stripe of black flecks along its back. Some populations have bright-yellow bellies, while others are silvery grey ventrally.[2]
Reproduction[]
M. greyii is one of a small number of vertebrate species that are known to reproduce by parthenogenesis.[3]
References[]
- ^ 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. (Menetia greyii, p. 108).
- ^ a b c Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad; Browne-Cooper, Robert; Robinson, David (1995). A Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth Region. University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 1-875560-42-4.
- ^ Adams, Mark; Foster, Ralph; Hutchinson, Mark; Hutchinson, Rhonda; Donnellan, Steve (2003). "The Australian scincid lizard Menetia greyii: A new instance of widespread vertebrate parthenogenesis". Evolution. 57 (11): 2619–2627. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb01504.x. PMID 14686536. S2CID 34128811.
Further reading[]
- Gray, John Edward (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. (Menetia greyii, new species, p. 66).
- Menetia
- Reptiles of Western Australia
- Vertebrate parthenogenesis
- Reptiles described in 1845
- Skinks of Australia
- Taxa named by John Edward Gray
- Skink stubs