Anomalopus leuckartii

Anomalopus leuckartii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Sphenomorphidae
Genus:	Anomalopus
Species:	A. leuckartii
Binomial name
Anomalopus leuckartii (Weinland, 1862)
Synonyms [2]
Brachymeles leuckartii Weinland, 1862 Lygosoma leuckartii (Weinland, 1862)

Anomalopus leuckartii, also known commonly as Leuckart's burrowing skink and the two-clawed worm-skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is native to eastern Australia.

Etymology

The specific name, leuckartii, is in honor of German zoologist Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart. ^[3]

Description

A. leuckartii has very small front legs. Each front leg has two toes, each of which has a claw. The rear legs are even smaller, each a mere clawless stub. ^[2] Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 13.5 cm (5.3 in). ^[4]

Geographic range

A. leuckhartii is found in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland. ^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of A. leuckartii is forest, but it has also been found in gardens. ^[1]

Behaviour

A. leuckartii is terrestrial and fossorial. ^[1]

Reproduction

A. leuckartii is oviparous. ^[2]

References

1. Venz, M.; Wilson, S.; Hobson, R.; Vanderduys, E.; Sanderson, C. (2018). "Anomalopus leuckartii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T102965287A102965464. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T102965287A102965464.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Anomalopus leuckartii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 22 March 2015.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Anomalopus leuckartii, p. 156).
4. Wilson S, Swan G (2023). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Sixth Edition. Sydney: Reed New Holland Publishers. 688 pp. ISBN   978-1-92554-671-2. (Anomalopus leuckartii, pp. 208–209).

Further reading

• Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN   978-0643100350.
• Greer AE, Cogger HG (1985). "Systematics of the Reduce-limbed and Limbless Skinks Currently Assigned to the Genus Anomalopus (Lacertilia: Scincidae)". Records of the Australian Museum37 (1): 11–54. (Anomalopus leuckartii, pp. 19–21, Figures 6–8).
• Mecke S, Mader F, Kieckbusch M, Kaiser H, Böhme W, Ernst R (2016). "Tracking a syntype of the Australian skink Anomalopus leuckartii (Weinland, 1862): 'lost' treasures in the Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden highlight the importance of reassessing and safe guarding natural history collections". Vertebrate Zoology66 (2): 169–177.
• Weinland DF (1862). "Beschreibung und Abbildung von drei neuen Sauriern. (Embryopus Habichii und Amphisbaena innocens von Haiti, und Brachymeles Leuckartii von Neuholland.)". Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main4: 131–143 + Plate V. (Brachymeles Leuckartii, new species, pp. 140–142 + Plate V, figures 3, 3a–3g). (in German).