Leiolopisma telfairii
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2017) |
| Leiolopisma telfairii | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Leiolopisma |
| Species: | L. telfairii
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| Binomial name | |
| Leiolopisma telfairii (
Desjardins , 1831) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Leiolopisma telfairii, also known
.Taxonomy
Other members of the genus ]
Etymology
L. telfairii is named after Irish botanist Charles Telfair,[3] the founder of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Mauritius.[citation needed]
Description
L. telfairii reaches a total length (including tail) of between 30–40 cm (12–16 in). The body is generally brownish grey mottled with dark brown spots. The small scales exhibit an iridescence when the sunlight is reflected on them. The body is approximately cylindrical. L. telfairii can
Ecology
The omnivorous diet of L. telfairii consists of seeds, fruits, insects, and small lizards. Cannibalism is not unknown, and L. telfairii may even kill its own young to eat them.[citation needed]
Status and conservation
L. telfairii was once numerous on Mauritius and offshore islands like Flat Island. Due to habitat destruction and introduced species like goats, black rats, and rabbits, it has been limited to Round Island since the middle of the 19th century. When Gerald Durrell visited Round Island in the 1970s he recorded 5,000 specimens. He brought some specimens to the Jersey Zoo to build up a captive breeding program. Since the eradication of the goats and rabbits on Round Island, the skink population has increased to the point that some could be relocated to other islands, like Gunner's Quoin (Coin du Mire) and the Île aux Aigrettes.[citation needed]
References
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T11409A152276731. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T11409A152276731.en. Downloaded on 09 March 2020.
- ^ Species Leiolopisma telfairii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Leiolopisma telfairi, p. 262).
Further reading
- Austin JJ, (HTML abstract)
- 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. (Lygosoma telfairii, new combination, pp. 270–271).
- Desjardins J(1831). "Sur trois espèces de lézard du genre scinque, qui habitent l'île Maurice (Ile-de-France)". Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Paris 22: 292-299. (Scincus telfairii, new species, pp. 293–296). (in French and Latin).
External links