Papua snake lizard

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Papua snake lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Pygopodidae
Genus: Lialis
Species:
L. jicari
Binomial name
Lialis jicari
Boulenger, 1903
Synonyms
  • Alopecosaurus cuneirostris Lindholm, 1905
  • Alopecosaurus cuneirostris var. inornata Lindholm, 1905

The Papua snake lizard (Lialis jicari), also known commonly as Jicar's snake-lizard, the New Guinea snake-lizard, and the Papua snake-lizard, is a species of legless lizard in the family Pygopodidae.[1][2] The species is endemic to New Guinea including the Bismarck Archipelago.[1]

Etymology[edit]

The specific name, jicari, is in honor of Mr. A.H. Jiear, a Resident Magistrate in British New Guinea, who presented the holotype to the British Museum (Natural History). Boulenger misread the donor's surname as "Jicar".[3]

Habitat[edit]

L. jicari is found in a variety of habitats including freshwater wetlands, grassland, shrubland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft).[1]

Description[edit]

L. jicari is limbless. It may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 31 cm (12 in), with a tail length of 50 cm (20 in). It has 22 scales around the middle of the body, seven preanal pores, and six anal scales.[4]

Reproduction[edit]

L. jicari is oviparous.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d O'Shea, M.; Parker, F.; Oliver, P. [in French]; Tallowin, O.; Allison, A. [in French] (2015). "Lialis jicari ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T196589A2463552. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T196589A2463552.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Lialis jicari at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 April 2021.
  3. ^ 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. (Lialis jicari, p. 134).
  4. ^ de Rooij N (1915). The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. I. Lacertilia, Chelonia, Emydosauria. Leiden: E.J. Brill. iv + 384 pp. (Lialis jicari, pp. 64–66, Figure 41).

Further reading[edit]

  • Boulenger GA (1903). "Descriptions of new Lizards in the Collection of British Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Seventh Series 12: 429–435. (Lialis jicari, new species, p. 430).