Northern hooded scaly-foot explained

The northern hooded scaly-foot (Pygopus steelescotti) is a species of legless lizard in the family Pygopodidae. The species is native to northern Australia.

Etymology

The specific name, steelescotti, is in honor of Dr. Colin Steele-Scott for his support of the South Australian Museum.^[1]

Geographic range

P. steelescotti is found in northeastern Western Australia, northern Northern Territory, and northwestern Queensland, Australia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. steelescotti is forest.

Description

Large for its genus, P. steelescotti may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 18.5cm (07.3inches). The tail is very long, 100% to 152% of SVL.^[2]

Reproduction

P. steelescotti is oviparous.

Further reading

• Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
• James BH, Donnellan SC, Hutchinson MN (2001). "Taxonomic revision of the Australian lizard Pygopus nigriceps (Squamata: Gekkonoidea)". Records of the South Australian Museum 34 (1): 37–52. (Pygopus steelescotti, new species, pp. 48–50, Figure 4B).
• Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .

Notes and References

1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Pygopus steelescotti, p. 251).
2. [Brian H. James|James]