Chalcides armitagei

Chalcides armitagei
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Chalcides
Species:	C. armitagei
Binomial name
Chalcides armitagei E.G. Boulenger, 1922

Chalcides armitagei, also known commonly as Armitage's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Scincinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to West Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, armitagei, is in honor of Cecil Hamilton Armitage (1869–1933), who collected the type specimen while he was Governor of the Gambia. ^[2]

Geographic range

Chalcides armitagei is found in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal. ^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Chalcides armitagei is vegetated coastal dunes, where it can be found under leaf litter. It has also been found in artificial plantations. ^[1]

Diet

Chalcides armitagei preys upon small insects. ^[1]

Reproduction

Chalcides armitagei is viviparous. ^[3]

Note

There have been several errors in the scientific literature concerning Chalcides armitagei. For the year of description, Frank & Ramus (1995) give 1896, while Pasteur (1981) ^[4] gives 1920 and 1921. ^[3] Also, the original describer, Edward George Boulenger, has been confused with his father, George Albert Boulenger.

References

1. Wilms, T.; Chirio, L.; Jallow, M.; Wagner, P. (2013). "Chalcides armitagei ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T13152303A13152308. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T13152303A13152308.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. 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. (Chalcides armitagei, p. 11).
3. Species Chalcides armitagei at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
4. Pasteur G (1981). "A survey of the species groups of the old world scincid genus Chalcides ". Journal of Herpetology15 (1): 1–16.

Further reading

• Boulenger EG (1922). "Description of a New Lizard of the genus Chalcides, from the Gambia, living in the Society's Gardens". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London1922: 899. (Chalcides armitagei, new species).
• Hakansson, N. Thomas (1981). "An Annotated Checklist of Reptiles Known to Occur in The Gambia". Journal of Herpetology. 15 (2): 155–161.
• Trape, J.-F.; Trape, S.; Chirio, L. (2012). Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. Paris: IRD Orstom. ISBN   978-2-7099-1726-1. 503 pp.
• Trape, S. (2008). "First record of the skink Chalcides armitagei Boulenger, 1922 in coastal areas of Guinea Bissau and Senegal". Herpetozoa. 20 (3/4): 189–191.