Canaryan Cylindrical Skink

The West Canary skink (Chalcides viridanus), also known commonly as the Canaryan cylindrical skink, East Canary Islands skink, the Tenerife skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands.

Habitat

The natural habitats of C. viridanus are temperate forest, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, rocky areas, rocky shores, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is found at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).^[1]

Description

C. viridanus may reach a total length (including tail) of about 18 cm (7.1 in).

Behavior

C. viridanus is active during the day and at dusk. Both its life in nature and its requirements in a terrarium are very similar to those of the Gran Canaria skink.

Reproduction

C. viridanus is viviparous.^[2]

Geographic range

C. viridianus is found on the following Canary Islands: Tenerife, El Hierro, Roque de Garachico, and Roque de Agna.

Sources

(listed chronologically)

• Brown RP, Thorpe RS, Báez M (1991). "Parallel within-island microevolution of lizards on neighbouring islands". Nature 352: 60–62.
• Brown RP, Thorpe RS, Báez M (1993). "Patterns and causes of morphological population differentiation in the Tenerife skink, Chalcides viridanus ". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 50 (4): 313–328.
• Brown RP, Pestano J (1998). "Phylogeography of Canary Island skinks inferred from mtDNA sequences". Molecular Ecology 7: 1183–1191.
• Brown RP, Campos-Delgado R, Pestano J (2000). "Mitochondrial DNA evolution and population history of the Tenerife skink Chalcides viridanus ". Molecular Ecology 9: 1061–1069.

References