Typhlacontias brevipes
| Typhlacontias brevipes | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Typhlacontias |
| Species: | T. brevipes
|
| Binomial name | |
| Typhlacontias brevipes FitzSimons, 1938
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Fitzsimonsia brevipes (FitzSimons, 1938) | |
Typhlacontias brevipes, also known as the FitzSimon's [sic] burrowing skink[2] or short blind dart skink,[1] is a skink species endemic to the Namib Desert (Namibia).[1][2] It was described by Vivian FitzSimons in 1938.[1]
Etymology
The species name is derived from the Latin words brevis, -e = short and pes, pedis = foot.[1]
Description
These slender skinks have small eyes with no eyelids and no external ear openings.[2] The hindlimb rudiments are visible on either side of cloaca.[1] The body coloration varies from light buff to sulphur yellow. Vague stripes, formed by the scales, can occur along the back and upper flanks. The tail is blue-grey. They can reach a snout–vent length of 113 mm (4.4 in).[2]
Females are viviparous and give birth to up to three young.[2]
Ecology
Typhlacontias brevipes typically occur on the leeward side of dunes in the roots of grass tufts found in semi-stable sand. They are active at night and in the cooler hours of the day when they forage for small insects like ants, termites, antlions, and beetles.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Typhlacontias brevipes at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 7 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "FitzSimon's burrowing skink". Cardboard Box Travel Shop - Namibia. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
External links
Photographs available at: