Chalcides guentheri explained

Chalcides guentheri, also known commonly as Günther's cylindrical skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the Near East.

Etymology

The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.^[1]

Geographic range

C. guentheri is found in northern Israel, southern Lebanon, extreme northwestern Jordan, and extreme southwestern Syria.

Description

C. guentheri has no limbs.^[2]

Habitat

C. guentheri is usually found in wooded or shrubby areas and cannot live in modified habitats. Members of the species may be found burrowing in grasses.

Reproduction

Sexually mature females of C. guentheri give birth to an average of three live young, by ovoviviparity.^[2]

Conservation status

C. guentheri is suffering under major habitat loss as a result of agriculture in the area, and its population is in decline. It is protected by legislation in Israel.

Further reading

• 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. (Chalcides guentheri, new species, pp. 404–405).
• Disi AM, Modrý D, Nečas P, Rifai L (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: An Atlas and Field Guide. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 408 pp. .
• Goldberg SR (2012). "Chalcides guentheri, Reproduction". Herpetological Review 43: 482–483.
• Sindaco R, Jeremčenko VK (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Paleactic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 522 pp. .

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
2. www.reptile-database.org.