Chalcides armitagei, also known commonly as Armitage's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Scincinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to West Africa.
Etymology The specific name, armitagei, is in honor of Cecil Hamilton Armitage (1869–1933), who collected the type specimen while he was Governor of the Gambia.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Chalcides armitagei, p. 11).
Geographic range Chalcides armitagei is found in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Chalcides armitagei is vegetated coastal dunes, where it can be found under leaf litter. It has also been found in artificial plantations.
Diet Chalcides armitagei preys upon small insects.
Reproduction Chalcides armitagei is viviparous.
Note There have been several errors in the scientific literature concerning Chalcides armitagei. For the year of description, Frank & Ramus (1995) give 1896, while Pasteur (1981)Pasteur G (1981). "A survey of the species groups of the old world scincid genus Chalcides ". Journal of Herpetology 15 (1): 1–16. gives 1920 and 1921.. www.reptile-database.org. Also, the original describer, Edward George Boulenger, has been confused with his father, George Albert Boulenger.
References
Further reading Boulenger EG (1922). "Description of a New Lizard of the genus Chalcides, from the Gambia, living in the Society's Gardens". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1922: 899. (Chalcides armitagei, new species).
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