Günther's dwarf burrowing skink explained

Günther's dwarf burrowing skink (Scelotes guentheri), also known commonly as Günther's burrowing skink, was a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species was endemic to Natal, South Africa.

Description

S. guentheri is known from only one specimen which was collected in 1886.^[1] It has greatly reduced limbs. The forelimbs are entirely absent, and the hind limbs retain only two digits. This holotype has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 9.8cm (03.9inches), and a tail length of 7cm (03inches).^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, guentheri, and the common names are in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.^[3]

Conservation status

S. guentheri is considered to be extinct.

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. (Scelotes guentheri, new species, pp. 414–415 + Plate XXIV, figures 3, 3a, 3b, 3c).
• Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (Scelotes guentheri, p. 142).
• Raw LRG (2021). "On the Status of Scelotes bourquini Broadley and Scelotes guentheri Boulenger (Sauria: Scincidae) from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa". 'ZooNova (7): 1–6.

Notes and References

1. [William Roy Branch|Branch]
2. [George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]
3. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]