Burgan skink
| Burgan skink | |
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| Species: | O. burganae
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| Binomial name | |
| Oligosoma burganae Chapple, Bell, Chapple, Miller, Patterson & Daugherty, 2011
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The Burgan skink, Oligosoma burganae, is a nationally endangered species of skink native to New Zealand.[1] It was described from a specimen found near the Burgan Stream, in the Rock and Pillar Range, Central Otago.[2]
Appearance
The Burgan skink has a glossy brown colour with a yellow grey abdomen. It has minimal or no scales on the interior edge of its ear opening and only three supraocular scales on the crown above the eye. It has a head that is blunter than similar Oligosoma species.[3]
Habitat
The Burgan skinks preferred habitat are herbs and shrubs above 900 m in the mountainous regions of the Rock and Pillar Ranges as well as in the Lammermoor ranges of Central Otago.[4]
Conservation status
As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the Burgan skink as Nationally Endangered under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[1] A 2012 survey in the Lammermoor and Rock and Pillar Ranges did not reveal any sightings of Burgan skinks.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson, Peter; Barr, Ben; Monks, Jo; Lettink, Marieke; Reardon, James; Tocher, Mandy; Whitaker, Tony. "Conservation status of New Zealand reptiles, 2012" (PDF). Department of Conservation. The Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ Chapple, David G.; Bell, Trent P.; Chapple, Stephanie N.J.; Miller, Kimberly A.; Daugherty, Charles H.; Patterson, Geoff B. (2011). "Phylogeography and taxonomic revision of the New Zealand cryptic skink (Oligosoma inconspicuum; Reptilia: Scincidae) species complex" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2782: 1–33. ISSN 1175-5334. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ "Oligosoma burganae CHAPPLE, BELL, CHAPPLE, MILLER, DAUGHERTY & PATTERSON, 2011". The Reptile Database. The Reptile Database. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Oligosoma burganae". Atlas of the amphibians and reptiles of New Zealand. The Department of Conservation. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
External Links
- Holotype specimen of Oligosoma burganae held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Image of a Burgan skink
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