Researchers Announce "Resurrection" Of Skink Species

PITTSBURGH, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An international team of researchers announces the "resurrection" of the Philippine skink species Brachymeles burksi. The species, originally named in 1917 by Edward Harrison Taylor, was recategorized in 1956 as Brachymeles bonitae and has not been considered its own species since. In a paper published by the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, colleagues from Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Sam Noble Museum at the University of Oklahoma, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Philippine National Museum, and University of Kansas conclude that B. burksi represents a distinct evolutionary lineage making it a unique species.

The holotype, or single specimen upon which a new description and species name are based, of B. burksi is held in the herpetology collection at Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH). 

"We are really lucky here at CMNH to have an incredible collection of 157 holotypes, many from the Philippines," says Jennifer Sheridan, CMNH's Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles. "My collaborators and I have worked on amphibians and reptiles of Southeast Asia for several decades, and I was excited to be invited to be part of this work. Southeast Asia has a high rate of new species description, which means that there are lots of species that haven't yet been officially named and thus, whose conservation status cannot be assessed."

The team confirmed that B. burksi is not only different from B. bonitae, but also confined to the islands of Marinduque and Mindoro, whereas B. bonitae is found on the much larger island of Luzon. "This means that B. burksi actually has quite a small geographic distribution," Sheridan says, "which in turn means that populations on Marinduque and Mindoro are of even greater conservation concern than previously thought."

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, is recognized globally as a megadiverse nation and a biodiversity hotspot. This study, and others like it that identify and species-level diversity, will prove critical to developing effective conservation strategies for the Philippines. 

Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is among the top natural history museums in the country. The museum generates new scientific knowledge, advances science literacy, and inspires visitors to become passionate about science, nature, and world cultures. More information is available at carnegiemnh.org.

SOURCE Carnegie Museum of Natural History