Voeltzkowia mobydick

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

Holotype: UADBA-R 70487 (field number MA293=ZCMV 12920), collected by Mirana Anjeriniaina between 14-15 November 2004.
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 above sea level”.
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.

Sirenoscincus mobydick Miralles, Anjeriniaina, Hipsley, Müller, Glaw & Vences, 2012: 704 [original combination]
Voeltzkowia mobydick — Miralles, Hipsley, Erens, Gehara, Rakotoarison, Glaw, Müller & Vences 2015: 16 [subsequent combination]

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 ; PDF Reference page.
Miralles, A., Hipsley, C.A., Erens, J., Gehara, M., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F., Müller, J. & Vences, M. 2015. Distinct Patterns of Desynchronized Limb Regression in Malagasy Scincine Lizards (Squamata, Scincidae). PLoS One 10(6): e0126074. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126074 Reference page.