Lygosoma
| Lygosoma | |
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| Lygosoma quadrupes | |
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| Genus: | Lygosoma |
| Type species | |
| Anguis quadrupes Linnaeus, 1766
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About 40, see text | |
Lygosoma is a genus of lizards, commonly known as writhing skinks, which are members of the family Scincidae. Lygosoma is the type genus of the subfamily Lygosominae.
Geographic range
Species of Lygosoma are primarily found in India, but some occur in nearby regions, such as the Philippines.
Behavior
The common name, writhing skinks, refers to the way these stubby-legged animals move, snake-like but slower and more awkwardly.
Taxonomy
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Lygosoma was used as a "wastebin taxon", to which almost every newly described skink was assigned.[2]
Species
The following species are recognized.[3][4]
- Lygosoma afrum (W. Peters, 1854)
- Lygosoma albopunctata (Gray, 1846)
- Lygosoma angeli (M.A. Smith, 1937)
- Lygosoma anguinum (Theobald, 1868)
- Lygosoma ashwamedhi (Sharma, 1969)
- Lygosoma bampfyldei Bartlett, 1895 – formerly in Riopa[5]
- Lygosoma boehmei Ziegler et al., 2007
- Lygosoma bowringii (Günther, 1864)
- Lygosoma carinatum Darevsky & Orlova, 1996
- Lygosoma corpulentum M.A. Smith, 1921
- Lygosoma fernandi (Burton, 1836) — true fire skink
- Lygosoma frontoparietale (Taylor, 1962)
- Lygosoma goaensis (Sharma, 1976)
- Lygosoma grandisonianum (Lanza & Carfi, 1966)
- Lygosoma guentheri (W. Peters, 1879)
- Lygosoma haroldyoungi (Taylor, 1962) – formerly in Riopa[5]
- Lygosoma herberti M.A. Smith, 1916
- Lygosoma isodactylum (Günther, 1864)
- Lygosoma koratense M.A. Smith, 1917
- Lygosoma laeviceps (W. Peters, 1874)
- Lygosoma lanceolatum Broadley, 1990
- Lygosoma lineata (Gray, 1839)
- Lygosoma lineolatum (Stoliczka, 1870)
- Lygosoma mabuiiforme (Loveridge, 1935)
- Lygosoma mafianum Broadley, 1994
- Lygosoma mocquardi Chabanaud, 1917
- Lygosoma muelleri (Schlegel, 1837)
- Lygosoma opisthorhodum F. Werner, 1910 – formerly in Riopa[5]
- Lygosoma paedocarinatum (Lanza & Carfi, 1968)
- Lygosoma pembanum Boettger, 1913
- Lygosoma popae (Shreve, 1940)
- Lygosoma productum Boulenger, 1909
- Lygosoma pruthi (Sharma, 1977)
- Lygosoma punctata (Gmelin, 1799)
- Lygosoma quadrupes (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Lygosoma simonettai Lanza, 1979
- Lygosoma singha (Taylor, 1950)
- Lygosoma smaragdinum (Lesson, 1826)
- Lygosoma somalicum (Parker, 1942)
- Lygosoma tanae (Loveridge, 1935)
- Lygosoma tersum M.A. Smith, 1916
- Lygosoma veunsaiensis Geissler, Hartmann & Neang, 2012
- Lygosoma vinciguerrae Parker, 1932
- Lygosoma vosmaeri (Gray 1839)
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Lygosoma.
References
- ^ Hardwicke T, Gray JE. 1828. A Synopsis of the Species of Saurian Reptiles, collected in India by Major-General Hardwicke. The Zoological Journal 3: 213-229. (Lygosoma, new genus, p. 228).
- ^ Shea & Michels 2008.
- ^ Dahms Tierleben. http://www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Scincomorpha/scincidae/lygosominae.
- ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c Wagner P, Böhme W, Pauwels OSG, Schmitz A. 2009. A review of the African red–flanked skinks of the Lygosoma fernandi (BURTON, 1836) species group (Squamata: Scincidae) and the role of climate change in their speciation. Zootaxa 2050: 1-30.
Further reading
- Shea GM, Michels JP. 2008. A replacement name for Sphenomorphus keiensis (Kopstein, 1926) from the southeastern Moluccas, Indonesia (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) with a redescription of the species. Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden 82 (52): 737-747. PDF
External links
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