Chalcides guentheri

Chalcides guentheri, or Günther's cylindrical skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Near East.[1]

Chalcides guentheri
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Chalcides
Species:	C. guentheri
Binomial name
Chalcides guentheri Boulenger, 1887

Etymology

The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-born British herpetologist Albert Günther.[2]

Geographic range

C. guentheri is found in Israel, Lebanon, and parts of western Jordan and Syria.[1]

Description

C. guentheri has no limbs.[3]

Habitat

C. guentheri is usually found in woody or shrubby areas and cannot live in modified habitats. Members of the species may be found burrowing in grasses.[1]

Reproduction

Sexually mature females of C. guentheri give birth to an average of three live young.[1]

Conservation status

C. guentheri is suffering under major habitat loss as a result of agriculture in the area, and its population is in decline. It is protected by legislation in Israel.[1]

References

1. Werner Y; et al. (2005). "Chalcides guentheri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2007.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
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 guentheri, pp. 110-111).
3. "Chalcides guentheri ". 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 guentheri, new species, pp. 404–405).