Voeltzkowia mobydick

Voeltzkowia mobydick

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Scincoidea

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

Familia: Scincidae
Subfamilia: Scincinae
Genus: Voeltzkowia
Species: Voeltzkowia mobydick

Name

Voeltzkowia mobydick (Miralles, Anjeriniaina, Hipsley, Müller, Glaw & Vences, 2012)

• 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.

Combinations

• 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]

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 ; 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.