Tachygyia microlepis Duméril & Bibron, 1839
Tongan ground skink
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Eumeces microlepis Duméril & Bibron, 1839; Otosaurus microlepis Gray, (1845?); Liosoma microlepis Fitzinger, 1843; Lygosoma microlepis Boulenger, 1887; Riopa (Eugongylus) microlepis Smith, 1937; Tachygyia microlepis Mittleman, 1952; Tachygia microlepis Greer, 1974; Tachygyia microlepis Adler, Austin & Dudley, 1995
Conservation Status
Missing (Ineich & Böhme, 2024) or Extinct (Allison et al., 2012, 2022)
Last record: 1827?
IUCN RedList status: Extinct (Pippard, 2012; Allison et al., 2012, 2022)
Distribution
Tonga and Friendly Islands; Tongatabu/Tongatapu
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Only known from two specimens (both syntypes) (Ineich & Böhme, 2024):
MNHN-RA 2919
MNHN-RA 5493
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. (1839). Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol.5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp.
Other references:
Allison, A., Hamilton, A. and Tallowin, O. (2012). Tachygyia microlepis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T21286A2775072. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T21286A2775072.en. Downloaded on 30 December 2016.
Allison, A., Hamilton, A. and Tallowin, O. (2022). Tachygyia microlepis (amended version of 2012 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T21286A217760413. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T21286A217760413.en. Accessed on 24 February 2024.
Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (comps and eds). (1996). 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
Dumont d'Urville, J. (1832). Voyage de la Corvette L'Astrolabe éxécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commandement of M. J. Dumont d'Urville, Capitane de vaisseau. Publié par Ordonannce de Sa Majesté. Histoire du Voyage. Tome Quatrième. Part I. J. Tastu, Paris.
Groombridge, B. (ed.). (1994). 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
Ineich, Ivan and Böhme, Wolfgang. (2024). Was it premature to declare the giant Tongan Ground Skink Tachygyia microlepis extinct? Salamandra 60(1): 82-93.
Ineich, Ivan and Zug, George R. (1996). Tachygyia, the Giant Tongan Skink: Extinct or Extant? Cryptozoology 12: 30-35.
Pippard, H. (2012). The current status and distribution of freshwater fishes, land snails and reptiles in the Pacific Islands of Oceania. Gland, Suisse, IUCN. vii + 69 pp.
Regalado, Pedro Galán. (2015). Los Anfibios y Reptiles Extinguidos: Herpetofauna Desaparecida Desde el Año 1500. Monografías de la Universidade da Coruña 155: 1-509.
George R. Zug, Ivan Ineich, Gregory Pregill, and Alison M. Hamilton (2012). Lizards of Tonga with Description of a New Tongan Treeskink (Squamata: Scincidae: Emoia samoensis Group). Pacific Science 66(2): 225-237.
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/10072/tachygia-microlepis-tonga-ground-skink
http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Tachygyia&species=microlepis