Hakaria simonyi ( Steindachner, 1899 )

Razzetti, Edoardo, Sindaco, Roberto, Grieco, Cristina, Pella, Francesca, Ziliani, Ugo, Pupin, Fabio, Riservato, Elisa, Pellitteri-Rosa, Daniele, Butikofer, Luca, Suleiman, Ahmed Saeed & Al-Aseily, Badar Awadh, 2011, Annotated checklist and distribution of the Socotran Archipelago Herpetofauna (Reptilia), Zootaxa 2826, pp. 1-44 : 14-15

Hakaria simonyi ( Steindachner, 1899)

Sepsina (Hakaria) Simonyi Steindachner, 1899: 161 —Locus typicus: “Hakari auf Sokotra ”. Parachalcides socotranus Boulenger, 1899: 6 .

Parachalcides socotranus .— Boulenger, 1903: 86, Pl. 11.1. Parachalcides sokotranus [sic].— Steindachner, 1903: 13. Scelotes simonyi .— Barbour & Loveridge, 1928: 64.

Hakaria simonyi .— Loveridge, 1935: 188.

Paracalcides [sic] socotranus .—Rösler, 1998: 35.

Parachalcides socotranus .— Wranik, 1998b: 150.

Hakaria simonyi .— Schätti & Desvoignes, 1999: 120. Parachalcides socotranus .— Joger, 2000: 343.

Hakaria simonyi .— Rösler & Wranik, 2004: 523.

This skink was previously known for the central area of Socotra and the Noged, where the species was described. We recorded it also in the western part of the island in a large sinkhole crater in the limestone plateau (inland of Neet) and in the palm grove near Qeysoh (SW of Qalansiyah).

Habitat. Observed mainly in areas with some vegetation cover (bushes, grass, trees) and sparse stones; we collected it from 10 m of altitude in the palm grove close to the beach in Bidholeh, Central Noged (not far from the type locality, Haqari village) up to 1463 m in the Skand area.

Original data. Fig. 24. Go'o area, Wadi Di-Fa'rhoh, Wadi Di Asrhon, Firmihin, Dheroh, Diksam plateau, SW Diksam, Central Noged, Plateau W of Qabhete, Qeysoh, Skand, Adho Di Meleh, Hadiboh plain.

Bibliographic data. Boulenger (1903), Steindachner (1903), Wranik (1998b), Schätti & Desvoignes (1999), Rösler & Wranik (2004).

General distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Remarks. Boulenger (1899) described this specie as Parachalcides socotranus , but his paper was preceded by just a few days by Steindachner’s 1899 publication, who named the same species Sepsina (Hakaria) simonyi . Loveridge (1935) proved that the paper by Boulenger had been published on the 18th May 1899 while the one by Steindachner between the 5th and 15th of May 1899.

In addition to the type-specimens listed by Schätti & Desvoignes (1999: 121), four syntypes from Sokotra are listed in the catalogue of the Turin’s Museum ( Elter, 1982); at least two specimens from Hakari (MZUT R2834) are still present (R. Sindaco obs.).