West Canary skink

West Canary skink
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Chalcides
Species:	C. viridanus
Binomial name
Chalcides viridanus (Gravenhorst, 1851)
Synonyms [2]
Gongylus viridanus Gravenhorst, 1851 Chalcides viridanus — Boulenger, 1887

The West Canary skink (Chalcides viridanus), also known commonly as the Canaryan cylindrical skink, East Canary Islands skink, the Tenerife skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands.

Habitat

The natural habitats of C. viridanus are temperate forest, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, rocky areas, rocky shores, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is found at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). ^[1]

Description

C. viridanus may reach a total length (including tail) of about 18 cm (7.1 in).

Behavior

C. viridanus is active during the day and at dusk. Both its life in nature and its requirements in a terrarium are very similar to those of the Gran Canaria skink.

Reproduction

C. viridanus is viviparous. ^[2]

Geographic range

C. viridianus is found on the following Canary Islands: Tenerife, El Hierro, Roque de Garachico, and Roques de Anaga.

Sources

(listed chronologically)

• Brown RP, Thorpe RS, Báez M (1991). "Parallel within-island microevolution of lizards on neighbouring islands". Nature352: 60–62.
• Brown RP, Thorpe RS, Báez M (1993). "Patterns and causes of morphological population differentiation in the Tenerife skink, Chalcides viridanus ". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society50 (4): 313–328.
• Brown RP, Pestano J (1998). "Phylogeography of Canary Island skinks inferred from mtDNA sequences". Molecular Ecology7: 1183–1191.
• Brown RP, Campos-Delgado R, Pestano J (2000). "Mitochondrial DNA evolution and population history of the Tenerife skink Chalcides viridanus ". Molecular Ecology9: 1061–1069.

References

1. Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Chalcides viridanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009 e.T61490A12480456. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61490A12480456.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
2. Species Chalcides viridanus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

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. (Chalcides viridanus, new combination, p. 402).
• Gravenhorst JLC (1851). "Über die im Zoologischen Museum der Universität Breslau befindlichen Wirtelschleichen (Pseudosaura), Krüppelfüssler (Brachypoda) und einige andere, denselben verwandte Reptilien aus dem Zünften der Schleichen und Dickzüngler ". Nova Acta Academiae Caesarae Leopoldina Carolinae Germaninicae Naturae23 (1): 291–394. (Gongylus viridanus, new species, pp. 348–350 + Plate XXXV, figures 1–6). (in German).

External links

• Photo