{"id":2956,"date":"2020-01-16T09:31:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T09:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/?page_id=2956"},"modified":"2020-01-27T14:01:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T14:01:51","slug":"chalcides_mauritanicus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/ficha\/chalcides_mauritanicus\/","title":{"rendered":"Species page of Chalcides mauritanicus"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Two-fingered Skink
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0(Dum\u00e9ril & Bibron, 1839)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By\u00a0Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Updated:\u00a016\/05\/2013<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Taxonomy:\u00a0Sauria\u00a0|\u00a0Scincidae\u00a0|\u00a0Chalcides\u00a0|\u00a0Chalcides mauritanicus<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Chalcides
Adult specimen of Chalcides mauritanicus. Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Range<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0Chalcides mauritanicus<\/span><\/p>\n

Distribution map of
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>
\nin Morocco.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Gallery: 0 photos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Phylogenetic frame<\/h2>\n

Synonym (Uetz & Ho\u0161ek, eds.).
\nHeteromeles mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0DUM\u00c9RIL & BIBRON 1839: 772
\nLerista dumerilii<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 GERVAIS 1836 (fide BOULENGER 1891)
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 BOULENGER 1887: 405
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 PASTEUR 1981
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 SCHLEICH, K\u00c4STLE & KABISCH 1996: 327
\nChalcides mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 SINDACO & JEREMCENKO 2008<\/p>\n

Heteromeles<\/span>\u00a0was established as a new genus for this species by Dum\u00e9ril & Bibron (1839) because of the absence of several fingers and toes. However, they already write that it’s morphology resembles that of Seps chalcide (now\u00a0Chalcides chalcides<\/span>). The first specimen was delivered by them by luitenant-colonel Levaillant and came from Algeria. No exact locality is given but according to Pasteur & Bons (1960) it should be Oran as said in Boulenger (1891). Boulenger (1891) mentions three specimen: two in the museum of Paris which he examined and a third in the collection of M. Lataste. He includes it in the genus\u00a0Chalcides<\/span>. Later Pasteur & Bons (1960) rehabilitated\u00a0Heteromeles<\/span>\u00a0as a subgenus. Pasteur (1981) again places it in\u00a0Chalcides<\/span>. Carranza\u00a0et al<\/em>\u00a0(2008) based\u00a0C. mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0as basal in the clade of grass-swimming\u00a0Chalcides<\/span>\u00a0(including\u00a0Chalcides chalcides<\/span>,\u00a0Chalcides minutus<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Chalcides guentheri<\/span>; but not\u00a0Chalcides mionecton<\/span>) from where it seperated the rest of this group 9.9 million years ago.<\/p>\n

Description<\/h2>\n

It is an elongated but small sized skink. Caputo\u00a0et al<\/em>. (1995) give measurements for 10 adult specimen where mean snout vent lenght is 65.9\u00a0mm (ranging from 54.7 – 71.8). Tail in unbroken state of similar size (see photo’s and photo in Sindaco & Jeremenko, 2008). Limbs are strongly reduced. Boulenger (1891) writes: “Snout conical, slightly projecting; earopening minute, -arcely distinguishable; nostril entirely in advance of the suture between the rostral and the first labial; fourth upper labial entering the orbit; supranasals distinct. Body much elongate. 18 scales round the bocly. Limbs very short; the anterior didactyl, the posteri tridactyle; thircl.toe nearly twice as long as second; the hind limb equals the length of the head, and the fore limb the distance between the end of the snout and the posterior border of the eye. Yellowish or greyish above, with a latelal band formed of closely-set large black dots”.<\/p>\n

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\"Chalcides
Chalcides mauritanicus. Saidia. Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Caputo\u00a0et al<\/em>\u00a0(1995) conclude that\u00a0C. mauritanicus<\/span>\u00a0has an even longer and narrower body than\u00a0C. mionecton<\/span>\u00a0and has a completely obliterated ear opening, which fits to it’s fossorial living.<\/p>\n

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\"Chalcides
Two colour variations of Chalcides mauritanicus. Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Resembles in size and coloration strongly\u00a0Ophiomorus sp.<\/span>\u00a0from the Near – and Middle East (see picture of\u00a0O.\u00a0punctatissimus<\/span>). Or to juvenile\u00a0Anguis fragilis<\/span>\u00a0as Mellado\u00a0et al.<\/em>\u00a01987 write. Dorsal side is yellowish to silvergrey with no ocelli. Often is a dark stripe visible along the middorsal. Lateral sides darker and ventral side grey. Tail lighter, grey-white coloured with dark stripes. In juveniles the tail is bright red until they are 7-8 months old (Doumergue, 1901).<\/p>\n

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\"Ophiomorus
Ophiomorus punctatissimus (Patara, Turkey). Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ecology and habits<\/h2>\n

This species has had little attention through the years and even now, virtually nothing is known about it’s ecology, life history, population densities etc. In fact it is still not known for certain if the species is live bearing! We found this species only in the dune based area between Ras el Ma and Saidia and only by turning over rubbish like old clothes, cardboard, plastic etc. We never saw one active out of it’s hidding place, but our observations were done only in Spring (april 2009 and 2013). Mateo\u00a0et al<\/em>\u00a0(1995) also mention finding them by turning over dead wood, cardboard boxes and stones very nearby the sea. It is presumed that the females give birth to fully formed young (Mateo\u00a0et al.<\/em>, 2009). Juveniles are found end of July beginning of August, and measure 36 + 24 mm (Doumergue, 1901).<\/p>\n

Distribution, habitat and abundance<\/h2>\n

Firstly this skink was only known from the littorial \/ coastal area of northwestern Algeria (Doumergue, 1901). Werner (1929) writes to have obtained a specimen from Kreider, which has never been reconfirmed as it is far south from the coast. It was not known from Morocco until recently. Even in 1981 Pasteur only knew it from the coastal districts of Oran and Algiers provinces of Algeria, although Pasteur & Bons (1960) claim it’s presence as highly probable in the northeast in their overview of reptiles of Morocco. Mateo (1991) mentions it first for Melilla, but gives no further data and already considers it extinct there (Mateo\u00a0et al<\/em>., 2009). In Mateo\u00a0et al<\/em>\u00a0(1995) four localities are mentioned: one for Algeria, about 25 km from the Moroccan border (between Algiers and Ghazouat: Doumergue, 1901) three for Morocco: Ras el Ma, Mellila and Beni Enzar. It appears to have a restricted range. It is mainly a coastal, lowland species that is known up to at least 140 m asl (Sindaco, October 2008 in Mateo\u00a0et al<\/em>., 2009).<\/p>\n

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\"Habitar
Habitat in the dunes west of Saidia. Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Doumergue (1901) describes finding it under stones in the sandy area\u2019s along the coast of Oran. Mellado\u00a0et al<\/em>. (1987) describe the habitat 2 km east of Ras el Ma in the coastal zone behind the dunes where exotic trees are planted like\u00a0Eucalyptus<\/span>\u00a0along\u00a0Acacia<\/span>,\u00a0Retama<\/span>. This skink lives in sandy (dune) soils where it dives into as quickly as\u00a0Scincus sp.<\/span>\u00a0Doumergue (1901) describes it is extremely difficult to catch often leaving you with only the fragile tail in your hands.<\/p>\n

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\"Habitat
Habitat in the dunes east of Ras el Ma. Photo: \u00a9 Serg\u00e9 Bogaerts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This species is considered Endagered by IUCN because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 5,000 km2<\/sup>, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its coastal habitat. It is not known to exist in severely degraded habitats (Mateo\u00a0et al.<\/em>, 2009). Bons & Geniez (1996) suspect it to live also in sandy area’s west of Melilla, so far it has not been found there. Further surveys are needed to better determine the range of this species. It is known to exist in the following protected areas: Embouchure Moulouya and Sebkha Bou Areg (Mateo\u00a0et al.<\/em>, 2009).<\/p>\n

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\"Habitat
Habitat destruction in progress in Saidia. Besides C. mauritanicus, we found here also Discoglossus pictus, Chalcides parallelus, Tarentola mauretanica, Trogonophis wiegmanni, Acanthodactylus boskianus, Testudo graeca, Macropotodon abubakeri.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Development of coastal areas for tourism and holiday villages are at the moment the biggest threat to this species as the complete dune system is broken down. It is possibly also threatened by loss of ground cover habitat, such as the collection of driftwood by local people for firewood (Mateo\u00a0et al.<\/span>, 2009), however, it is replaced by a lot of rubbish and waste which seems to be used as well by this skink. All current habitats are degradated. A lot of habitat has already disappeared by the extensive buildings west of Saidia in the direction of the Moulouya rivier.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n