Check List 6(4): 616-618, doi: 10.15560/6.4.616
Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae, Brachymeles elerae (Taylor, 1917): rediscovery in Old Balbalan, Cordillera Mountain Range, Luzon Island, Philippines, and natural history
Cameron D. Siler
Corresponding author:
Cameron Siler
(
camsiler@ku.edu
)
© 2017 Cameron Siler. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Siler C (2016) Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae, Brachymeles elerae (Taylor, 1917): rediscovery in Old Balbalan, Cordillera Mountain Range, Luzon Island, Philippines, and natural history. Check List 6(4): 616-618. https://doi.org/10.15560/6.4.616 | |
Abstract
Brachymeles elerae (Taylor 1917) is one of 18 recognized lizard species of Brachymeles, and is one of only two species known to possess four digits on the fore- and hind limbs. This unique species was originally described on the basis of two specimens, both lacking locality data, and has long been presumed to occur in the Nueva Vizcaya Province in the north central region of Luzon Island in the Philippines. In 1920, two additional specimens were collected from the Municipality of Balbalan of Luzon by E. H. Taylor. All subsequent reviews of the genus have been based on this material. I report on the first records of Brachymeles elerae in over ninety years and present the first photograph and new data on morphology and habitat.