Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii

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Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
Southern Grass Skink (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Pseudemoia
Species:
P. entrecasteauxii
Binomial name
Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
Southern Grass Skink.png
Distribution of the southern grass skink
Synonyms [2]
  • Lygosoma entrecasteauxiiA.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839
  • Leilopisma entrecasteauxi
    Greer, 1974
  • Claireascincus entrecasteauxiiWells & Wellington, 1985
  • Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii
    Hutchinson et al., 1990
  • Niveoscincus entrecasteauxii
    Bauer et al., 1995

Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, also known commonly as Entrecasteaux's skink, the southern grass skink, the tussock cool-skink, and the tussock skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Contents

Geographic range

P. entrecasteauxii is found in the south-east of the continent of Australia, as well as in Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait.

Habitat

Although it occurs in a variety of habitats, P. entrecasteauxii is most commonly found in open grassy woodlands. [3] [4]

Longevity

The southern grass skink has a lifespan of about 5 or 6 years.

Description

P. entrecasteauxii grows up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) in length (not including the tail). Male skinks change colouration during the breeding season.

Etymology

The specific name, entrecasteauxii, is in honor of French naval officer and explorer Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. [5]

Reproductive biology

The southern grass skink has become a model species for reproductive biology in reptiles because it gives birth to live young and exhibits non-invasive epitheliochorial placentation. Unlike the majority of live bearing reptiles, Pseudemoia develop complex placentae, which provide a substantial amount of nutrients to the embryo through pregnancy. [6] Pregnancy in squamates is supported by the evolution of a novel state of gene regulation. [7] The amount of nutrients provided is dependent on the amount of food females consume during pregnancy, and, unlike other live-bearing reptiles, scarcity of food during pregnancy can cause developmental failure. When food is limiting, females will also cannibalize their offspring. Together, these results suggest that placental nutrient transport may only be a successful mode of reproduction if food is abundant throughout pregnancy, which may limit its opportunities to evolve in some reptiles. [8] Lipid transport in this species most likely occurs through the yolk sac placenta and is facilitated in part by the production of the protein lipoprotein lipase. [9] The first observation of an extra-uterine pregnancy in a reptile was found in this species. [10] The extra-uterine embryo did not invade maternal tissue, suggesting fundamental differences between the nature and evolution of placentation in the southern grass skink and eutherian mammals.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skink</span> Family of reptiles

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.

<i>Lampropholis</i> Genus of lizards

Lampropholis is a genus of skinks, commonly known as sunskinks, in the lizard subfamily Eugongylinae of the family Scincidae. The genus Lampropholis was previously found to belong to a clade with the genera Niveoscincus, Leiolopisma and others of the Eugongylus group within Lygosominae. All species of Lampropholis are endemic to Australia. For similar skinks see genera Bassiana, Pseudemoia, and Niveoscincus.

<i>Carinascincus</i> Genus of lizards

Carinascincus is a genus of skinks, commonly called snow skinks or cool-skinks and residing mainly in Tasmania or Victoria, Australia. Then recognised as the genus Niveoscincus, it was found to belong to a clade with the genera Carlia, Lampropholis and others of the Eugongylus group within Lygosominae. Cogger has rejected the use of the junior name Niveoscincus and recognizes the valid senior generic name Carinascincus for the group. For similar skinks see genera Pseudemoia, Lampropholis, and Bassiana. These skinks have adapted to the cooler weather of southern Australia and particularly Tasmania, hence the common names.

<i>Pseudemoia</i> Genus of lizards

Pseudemoia is a genus of skinks native to southeastern Australia. For similar skinks see genera Bassiana, Lampropholis, and Niveoscincus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viviparity</span> Development of the embryo inside the mother

In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juvenile that is at least metabolically independent. This is opposed to oviparity, where the embryos develop independently outside the mother in eggs until they are developed enough to break out as hatchlings; and ovoviviparity, where the embryos are developed in eggs that remain carried inside the mother's body until the hatchlings emerge from the mother as juveniles, similar to a live birth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Weekes</span>

Doctor Hazel Claire Weekes MBE was an Australian general practitioner and health writer; she also had an early career as a research scientist working in the field of comparative reproduction. Doctor Weekes is considered by many as the pioneer of modern anxiety treatment and has written several books on dealing with anxiety disorders. Many of today's self-help books on anxiety continue to cite her work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placentation</span> Formation and structure of the placenta

Placentation refers to the formation, type and structure, or arrangement of the placenta. The function of placentation is to transfer nutrients, respiratory gases, and water from maternal tissue to a growing embryo, and in some instances to remove waste from the embryo. Placentation is best known in live-bearing mammals (theria), but also occurs in some fish, reptiles, amphibians, a diversity of invertebrates, and flowering plants. In vertebrates, placentas have evolved more than 100 times independently, with the majority of these instances occurring in squamate reptiles.

<i>Leiolopisma telfairii</i> Species of lizard

Leiolopisma telfairii, also known commonly as the Round Island ground skink, the Round Island skink, and Telfair's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Round Island, one of the islands of Mauritius.

Carinascincus palfreymani, known commonly as the Pedra Branca skink, as well as the Palfreyman's window-eyed skink, the Pedra Branca cool-skink, or the red-throated skink, is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia, and is restricted to the windswept Pedra Branca, an island off southern Tasmania of only 2.5 ha, where it is dependent on the seabird colonies. It is the only lizard species found on the island.

<i>Oligosoma suteri</i> Species of lizard

Oligosoma suteri, known commonly as Suter's skink, the black shore skink, the egg-laying skink, and Suter's ground skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Saiphos</i> Species of reptile

Saiphos equalis, commonly known as the yellow-bellied three-toed skink or simply three-toed skink, is a species of burrowing skink found in eastern Australia. It is the only species classified under the genus Saiphos.

<i>Lipinia pulchella</i> Species of lizard

Lipinia pulchella, known commonly as the yellow-striped slender tree skink or beautiful lipinia, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Philippines.

Papuascincus stanleyanus is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea.

<i>Pseudemoia baudini</i> Species of lizard

Pseudemoia baudini, also known commonly as Baudin's skink, Baudin's window-eyed skink, and the Bight Coast skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Pseudemoia pagenstecheri</i> Species of lizard

Pseudemoia pagenstecheri, also known commonly as the southern grass tussock skink or the southern tussock grass skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Pseudemoia rawlinsoni</i> Species of lizard

Pseudemoia rawlinsoni, also commonly known as the glossy grass skink and Rawlinson's window-eyed skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Pseudemoia spenceri, also known commonly as Spencer's widow-eyed skink or the trunk-climbing cool-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Saproscincus challengeri</i> Species of lizard

Saproscincus challengeri, also known commonly as the Border Ranges shadeskink, Challenger's skink, the challenging shade skink, and the orange-tailed shadeskink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

<i>Kaestlea beddomii</i> Species of lizard

Kaestlea beddomii, also known as Beddome's ground skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Papuascincus buergersi is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Papua New Guinea.

References

  1. Gillespie, G.; Hutchinson, M.; Michael, D.; Melville, J.; Chapple, D.G.; Clemann, N.; Robertson, P. (2018). "Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T109480964A109480977. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T109480964A109480977.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Species Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. DPIW: Native Plants and Animals – Southern Grass Skink
  4. Cogger HG (1979). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Sydney: Reed. ISBN   0-589-50108-9
  5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, p. 84).
  6. Thompson, Michael B.; Stewart, James R.; Speake, Brian K.; Russell, Kylie J.; McCartney, Ruth J.; Surai, Peter F. (1999). "Placental nutrition in a viviparous lizard (Pseudemoia pagenstecheri) with a complex placenta". Journal of Zoology. 248 (3): 295–305. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb01030.x.
  7. Griffith, Oliver W.; Brandley, Matthew C.; Belov, Katherine; Thompson, Michael B. (2016-10-01). "Reptile Pregnancy Is Underpinned by Complex Changes in Uterine Gene Expression: A Comparative Analysis of the Uterine Transcriptome in Viviparous and Oviparous Lizards". Genome Biology and Evolution. 8 (10): 3226–3239. doi:10.1093/gbe/evw229. ISSN   1759-6653. PMC   5174741 . PMID   27635053.
  8. Van Dyke, James U.; Griffith, Oliver W.; Thompson, Michel B. (2014). "High food abundance permits the evolution of placentotrophy: evidence from a placental lizard, Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii ". The American Naturalist. 184 (2): 198–210. doi:10.1086/677138. PMID   25058280.
  9. Griffith, Oliver W.; Ujvari, Beata; Belov, Katherine; Thompson, Michael B. (2013). "Placental lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene expression in a placentotrophic lizard, Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii ". Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution. 320 (7): 465–470. doi:10.1002/jez.b.22526. PMID   23939756.
  10. Griffith, Oliver W.; Van Dyke, James U.; Thompson, Michael B. (2013). "No implantation in an extra-uterine pregnancy of a placentotrophic reptile". Placenta. 34 (6): 510–511. doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2013.03.002. PMID   23522396.

Further reading