Overview
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Lygosominae is a member of the Family Scincidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Lygosominae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
- Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass: Tetrapoda
Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
- Class: Sauropsida
- Subclass: Diapsida
- Infraclass: Lepidosauromorpha
- Superorder: Lepidosauria
- Order: Squamata
(SKWA-ma-tuh)
- snakes, lizards, and amphisbaenians
- Suborder: Lacertilia
- Infraorder: Scincomorpha
- Family: Scincidae
- Skinks
- Subfamily: Lygosominae
- Family: Scincidae
- Skinks
- Infraorder: Scincomorpha
- Suborder: Lacertilia
- Order: Squamata
(SKWA-ma-tuh)
- snakes, lizards, and amphisbaenians
- Superorder: Lepidosauria
- Infraclass: Lepidosauromorpha
- Subclass: Diapsida
- Class: Sauropsida
- Superclass: Tetrapoda
Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
- Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Lygosominae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Genus (23): Ablepharus · Acontias · Cryptoblepharus · Ctenotus · Dasia · Emoia · Eumecia · Leiolopisma · Lygosoma · Mabuya · Neoseps · Ophioscincus · Panaspis · Riopa · Ristella · Scelotes · Scincella · Sepsina · Sphenomorphus · Trachylepis · Tribolonotus · Tropidophorus · Typhlosaurus
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1,623 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Lygosominae.
Genera
Ablepharus
The skink genus Ablepharus contains the common snake-eyed skinks. Their name refers to the fact that their eyelids have fused to a translucent capsule; like snakes, they thus cannot blink. [more]
Acontias
Acontias, the lance skinks, is a genus of limbless skinks (family Scincidae) in the African subfamily Acontinae. Most are small animals, but the largest member of the genus is at approximately 40 cm. All members of this genus are live-bearing, sandswimmers with fused eyelids. A recent review moved species that were formerly placed in the genera Typhlosaurus, Acontophiops and Microacontias into this genus as together these form a single branch in the tree of life. This new concept of Acontias is a sister lineage to Typhlosaurus and these are the only genera within the subfamily Acontinae. [more]
Cryptoblepharus
Cryptoblepharus is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae) commonly called snake-eyed skinks or shining-skinks. They occupy a fairly basal position among the Eugongylus group. [more]
Ctenotus
Ctenotus is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae). It belongs to a clade in the Sphenomorphus group which contains such genera as Anomalopus and the close relatives Eulamprus and Gnypetoscincus. [more]
Dasia
Emoia
Emoia is a genus of skinks in the subfamily Lygosominae. It belongs to a group of genera mainly from the SW Pacific-Australian region, such as Leiolopisma; these and others form the Eugongylus group. [more]
Eumecia
Leiolopisma
Leiolopisma is a genus of skinks. Most species occur in the region of New Caledonia-New Zealand, and they are related to other genera from that general area, such as Emoia; these and others form the Eugongylus group. One living and two extinct taxa represent a clade endemic to the Mascarenes.(Austin & Arnold 2006) [more]
Lygosoma
Writhing skinks, genus Lygosoma, are members of the lizard family Scincidae, where they form the type genus of the subfamily Lygosominae. They are primarily found in India, but some occur in nearby regions. The common name refers to the way these stubby-legged animals move, snake-like but slower and more awkward. [more]
Mabuya
Mabuya is a of long-tailed skinks nowadays restricted to species from the Americas. The American mabuyas are primarily carnivorous, though many are omnivorous. Formerly, many Old World species were placed here, as Mabuya was a kind of "wastebasket taxon". These are now placed in the genera Chioninia, Eutropis and Trachylepis. [more]
Neoseps
There is only one species known of the genus Neoseps, the Neoseps reynoldsi, commonly known as the Florida sand skink. The species has been described by Leonhard Hess Stejneger in 1910 and named in honor of one A. G. Reynolds, who had collected the holotype. [more]
Ophioscincus
Ophioscincus is a genus of skink known to inhabit parts of Australia. [more]
Panaspis
Riopa
Common names are Fire Skink or the true Fire Skink. It is easy to tell the species apart from other Skinks by bright red coloring on their sides from which they get their name. They also have a bule that runs down the side of their tail. [more]
Ristella
Ristella is a genus of skinks found in southern India. [more]
Scelotes
Scincella
Scincella is a genus of lizards in the skink family, Scincidae, commonly referred to as ground skinks. The exact number of species in the genus is unclear, as taxonomic reclassification is ongoing, and sources vary widely. Scincella species primarily range throughout the temperate regions of the world and are typically small, fossorial lizards, which consume a wide variety of arthropods. [more]
Sepsina
Sepsina is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae). It is presently placed in the subfamily Scincinae which seems to be paraphyletic however. It belongs to a major clade of this group which does not seem to include the type genus Scincus. Thus, it will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily.(Austin & Arnold 2006) [more]
Sphenomorphus
The genus Sphenomorphus ? vernacularly known as the common skinks ? currently serves as a "wastebin taxon" for a large number of skinks. While most or all species presently placed here are probably rather close relatives, the genus as presently delimited is likely to be not monophyletic and is in need of review. [more]
Trachylepis
Trachylepis is a genus in the subfamily Lygosominae. Its members were formerly included in the "wastebin taxon" Mabuya, and for some time in Euprepes (also spelled Euprepis). As defined today, Trachylepis contains the clade of Afro-Malagasy mabuyas. [more]
Tribolonotus
The crocodile skinks are of the genus Tribolonotus. They include the following species: [more]
Tropidophorus
Typhlosaurus
Typhlosaurus are one of a number of of Skink (family Scincidae), characterized by their lack of limbs. [more]
At least 22 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Typhlosaurus.
More info about the Genus Typhlosaurus may be found here.
Sources
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