Redescriptions of two poorly known slender skinks, Brachymeles bicolor and Brachymeles pathfinderi (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from the Philippines

Brachymeles bicolor (Gray 1845), from the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of Luzon Island, and Brachymeles pathfinderi Taylor 1925, from southern Mindanao Island, are among the most distinctive species in the genus, representing the largest species and one of only two known nonpentadactyl species with unequal digit numbers respectively. However, both species are inadequately diagnosed, based on a total of only five specimens. Here we provide brief taxonomic histories, discuss and clarify type localities, and redescribe each species using larger sample sizes and specimens well documented and collected during our recent biodiversity surveys. We include new information on morphological variation, distribution, ecology, and microhabitat.