Scincella gemmingeri
Encyclopedia
The Forest Ground Skink (Scincella gemmingeri) is a species of skink
that lives in the coastal regions of the Mexican
state of Veracruz
and various surrounding states. It occurs primarily in forests, especially rainforest
s, oak
forests, cloud forest
s, and tropical evergreen forests, although it is also sometimes found on pastureland. It is a common species and faces no major threats, and its reproduction is ovoviviparous
.
Like all members of the genus Scincella, S. gemmingeri is long and cylindrical, with short limbs. Its color is dark gray, and it has a dark stripe originating at the snout and running dorsolaterally across its body. Its maximum snout-vent length is about 45 mm.
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
that lives in the coastal regions of the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and various surrounding states. It occurs primarily in forests, especially rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forests, cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
s, and tropical evergreen forests, although it is also sometimes found on pastureland. It is a common species and faces no major threats, and its reproduction is ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, or ovivipary, is a mode of reproduction in animals in which embryos develop inside eggs that are retained within the mother's body until they are ready to hatch...
.
Like all members of the genus Scincella, S. gemmingeri is long and cylindrical, with short limbs. Its color is dark gray, and it has a dark stripe originating at the snout and running dorsolaterally across its body. Its maximum snout-vent length is about 45 mm.