Ablepharus anatolicus
| Ablepharus anatolicus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Eugongylinae |
| Genus: | Ablepharus |
| Species: | A. anatolicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ablepharus anatolicus Schmidtler, 1997 | |
Ablepharus anatolicus, commonly known as the Anatolian snake-eyed skink is a species of skink native to the Anatolian peninsula in the Republic of Türkiye. It is one of 35 species of lizards collectively called "snake-eyed skinks;" like snakes, they lack eyelids, instead having a layer of clear scales which cover the eye.[1]
Distribution
An ecological niche modeling study conducted in 2021 found that the Anatolian snake-eyed skink occupies a geographically distinct niche from Budak's snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus budukai). The Anatolian snake-eyed skink is primarily distributed in the southern ranges of the eastern Taurus mountains.[2]
Description and taxonomy
Ablepharus anatolicus was first described by Josef Friedrich Schmidtler in 1997 as a subspecies of Budak's snake-eyed skink, which was itself previously described as a subspecies of the European snake-eyed skink, Ablephaus kitaibelli.[3] A. anatolicus was later determined to be a phylogenetically distinct species;[4] it can be distinguished from A. budaki budaki by its front supralabial plate morphology.[4] The type specimens are held at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München.[5]
A study published in 2024 noted similarities in hemipenial morphology between A. anatolicus and Chernov's skink (Ablepharus chernovi) suggesting possible synonymy between the two species.[6]
References
- ↑ "Snake-eyed skink | Ground-dwelling, Nocturnal, Endemic | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ Kurnaz, Muammer; Yousefkhani, Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian (2021-12-23). "A Contribution to the Biogeography of Ablepharus anatolicus and A. budaki (Squamata: Scincidae) Using Ecological Niche Modeling in Turkey". Folia Biologica. 69 (4): 159–166. doi:10.3409/fb_69-4.17. ISSN 0015-5497.
- ↑ Schmidtler, Josef Friedrich (July 30, 1997). "Die Ablepharus kitaibelii - Gruppe in Süd-Anatolien und benachbarten Gebieten" (PDF). Herpetozoa. 10 (1/2): 35–63 – via ZOBODAT.
- 1 2 BOZKURT, EMİN; OLGUN, KURTULUŞ (2020-01-01). "Taxonomic investigation of the genus Ablepharus (Sauria; Scincidae) with molecular andmorphological methods in Anatolian populations". Turkish Journal of Zoology. 44 (2): 134–145. doi:10.3906/zoo-1911-14. ISSN 1300-0179.
- ↑ Franzen, Michael; Glaw, Frank (2007-12-04). "Type catalogue of reptiles in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München". Spixiana. 30: 201–274.
- ↑ Vergilov, Vladislav; Zlatkov, Boyan (September 2024). "Morphology of hemipenes and its taxonomic implication in the fused eyelids species of the genus Ablepharus (Squamata: Scincidae)". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 312: 79–91. Bibcode:2024ZooAn.312...79V. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2024.07.009.
External links
- Species Ablepharus anatolicus at The Reptile Database