Sirenoscincus mobydick

Sirenoscincus mobydick
Image credit: Aurélien Miralles

Sirenoscincus mobydick, dead specimen on leaf
Image credit: Mrs Andolalao Rakotoarison

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Scincoidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Superclassis: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Subclassis: Diapsida Cladus: Sauria Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha Superordo: Lepidosauria Ordo: Squamata Subordo: Scincomorpha Superfamilia: Scincoidea

Familia: Scincidae
Genus: Sirenoscincus
Species: Sirenoscincus mobydick

Name

Sirenoscincus mobydick Miralles, Anjeriniaina, Hipsley, Müller, Glaw & Vences, 2012

• Holotype: UADBA-R 70487, (field number MA293, ZCMV 12920), collected by Mirana Anjeriniaina.
• Type locality: Northwest Madagascar, Sofia region, commune rurale of Port Bergé II, 3 km from the village of Marosely, plateau of Bongolava (15°38’49.7’’S, 47°34’59’’E), 250 m elevation.
• Etymology: Refers to Moby Dick, the famous albino sperm whale imagined by Herman Melville (1851), with whom the new species shares several uncommon characteristics, such as the lack of hindlimbs, the presence of flipper-like forelimbs, highly reduced eyes, and the complete absence of pigmentation.

References

Primary references

• Miralles, A., Anjeriniaina, M., Hipsley, C.A., Müller, J., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2012. Variations on a bauplan: description of a new Malagasy “mermaid skink” with flipper-like forelimbs only (Scincidae, Sirenoscincus Sakata & Hikida, 2003). Zoosystema 34(4): 701–719. DOI: 10.5252/z2012n4a3 full article (PDF) Reference page. 

Wikinews has news relating to this subject: Wikinews interviews Aurélien Miralles about Sirenoscincus mobydick species discovery.