Emoia mokolahi

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
Subfamilia: Eugongylinae
Genus: Emoia
Species: Emoia mokolahi

Name

• Emoia mokolahi Zug, Ineich, Pregill & Hamilton, 2012

Holotype: USNM 333684, adult female, collected by George R. Zug, 10 November 1993.

Type locality: Kingdom of Tonga, Vava‘u group, Vava‘u (Island), approximately 1 km W of Neiafu (∼18° 39′ S, 173° 59′ W), south side of Mt. Talau.

Etymology: The name derives from two Tongan words, lahi (adjective) for big and moko (noun) for lizard, hence mokolahi (following Tongan word order) refers to this taxon being the largest extant skink in the Tongan Islands.

References

• Zug, G.R., I. Ineich, G. Pregill & A. M. Hamilton, 2012: Lizards of Tonga and a description of a new Tongan treeskink (Squamata: Scincidae: Emoia samoensis Group). Pacific science, 66(2): 225–237. DOI: 10.2984/66.2.9