Scincella

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Scincella
Scincella lateralis.jpg
Scincella lateralis , a ground skink
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Subfamily: Sphenomorphinae
Genus: Scincella
Mittleman, 1950 [1]
Synonyms

Scincella is a genus of lizards in the skink family, Scincidae, commonly referred to as ground skinks. [1] 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. They are a generalized insectivore with well developed chemosensory abilities. [2]

Contents

Description

The Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) a medium sized skink, that have a shiny brown back. They are most commonly found in moist woodland areas throughout the southeastern United States. [3]

Horsetail Falls ground skink (Scincella caudaequinae) municipality of Jaumave, Tamaulipas, Mexico (11 August 2003). Scincella caudaequinae, Horsetail Falls ground skink, Tamaulipas.jpg
Horsetail Falls ground skink (Scincella caudaequinae) municipality of Jaumave, Tamaulipas, Mexico (11 August 2003).

Species

The genus Scincella contains the following 39 recognized species: [4] [5]

Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Scincella.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skink</span> Family of reptiles

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.

<i>Sphenomorphus</i> Genus of lizards

The genus Sphenomorphus – vernacularly also known as the common skinks – currently serves as a "wastebin taxon" for numerous 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. Some species in this genus have been moved to Pinoyscincus.

Tropidophorus is a genus of semiaquatic lizards in the skink family (Scincidae), found in Indochina, Borneo, Sulawesi, and the Philippines. They are sometimes known as water skinks or waterside skinks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-lined ground skink</span> Species of reptile

The two-lined ground skink is a species of skink. It is found in the Nilgiri Hills and Travancore Hills of India.

<i>Scincella reevesii</i> Species of lizard

Scincella reevesii is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Asia.

<i>Kaestlea travancorica</i> Species of lizard

Kaestlea travancorica, also known as the Travancore ground skink or Barbour's ground skink, is a species of skink endemic to southern Western Ghats.

<i>Rhacophorus</i> Genus of amphibians

Rhacophorus is a genus of frogs in the shrub-frog family Rhacophoridae, which, with the related Hylidae, is one of the two genera of true tree frogs. They are found in China, India, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia, including the island of Borneo. Over 40 species are currently recognised.

<i>Scincella lateralis</i> Species of lizard

Scincella lateralis, formerly Lygosoma laterale is a small species of skink found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, and into northern Mexico. The ground skink differs from the majority of North American lizard species in that it is generally considered a forest dweller. Common names for this species include the little brown skink and the ground skink. However, the common name, ground skink, may refer to any species in the genus Scincella.

Ablepharus sikimmensis is a species of skink found in Bangladesh (Rangpur), Bhutan, China (Tibet), India and Nepal.

<i>Opisthotropis</i> Genus of snakes

Opisthotropis is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to Southeast Asia and South China.

<i>Eutropis</i> Genus of lizards

Eutropis is a genus of skinks belonging to the subfamily Mabuyinae. For long, this genus was included in the "wastebin taxon" Mabuya; it contains the Asian mabuyas. They often share their habitat with the related common skinks (Sphenomorphus), but they do not compete significantly as their ecological niches differ. This genus also contains the only member of the subfamily to occur in Australasia, the many-lined sun skink, whose wide range includes New Guinea.

<i>Scincella gemmingeri</i> Species of lizard

Scincella gemmingeri, commonly known as the forest ground skink, Cope's forest ground skink, and la escíncela de bosque de Cope in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

<i>Scincella vandenburghi</i> Species of lizard

Scincella vandenburghi, also known commonly as the Korean skink, the Tsushima ground skink, and the Tsushima smooth skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to East Asia

<i>Kaestlea</i> Genus of lizards

Kaestlea is a genus of skinks. These skinks are small, shiny, smooth-scaled species. They are diurnal, terrestrial and insectivorous. They lay eggs to reproduce. These skinks are identified by their distinct blue tail colour. They live in tropical rainforest and montane forest habitats. These secretive skinks silently move through thick leaf-litter on forest floor. They are all endemic to the Western Ghats mountains and in some parts of Eastern Ghats (Shevaroys) of South India.

Eutropis darevskii, also known commonly as Darevsy's mabouya, Darevsky's mabuya, and Darevsky's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Vietnam.

<i>Kaestlea beddomii</i> Species of lizard

Kaestlea beddomii, also known as Beddome's ground skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Boettger's ground skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.

Scincella doriae, also known commonly as Doria's ground skink and Doria's smooth skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Tropidophorus baviensis, also known commonly as the Bavi water skink or Bavay's keeled skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Scincella". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  2. Nicoletto, Paul F. (September 1985). "The Relative Roles of Vision and Olfaction in Prey Detection by the Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis". Journal of Herpetology. 19 (3): 411–415. doi:10.2307/1564269. ISSN   0022-1511. JSTOR   1564269.
  3. Rheubert, J.L.; McHugh, H.H.; Collier, M.H.; Sever, D.M.; Gribbins, K.M. (July 2009). "Temporal germ cell development strategy during spermatogenesis within the testis of the Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis (Sauria: Scincidae)". Theriogenology. 72 (1): 54–61. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2009.01.021. ISSN   0093-691X. PMID   19344944.
  4. Scincella at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 11 July 2014.
  5. Nguyen, Sang Ngoc; Nguyen, Vu Dang Hoang; Nguyen, Luan Thanh; Murphy, Robert W. (2020-10-28). "A new skink of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950 (Squamata: Scincidae) from southern Vietnam". Zootaxa. 4868 (3): 423–434. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4868.3.6. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   33311393. S2CID   228957224.

Further reading