Lygosominae

Lygosominae
Unidentified Eutropis species from Wayanad (Kerala, India)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Family: Scincidae
Subfamily: Lygosominae
Mittleman, 1952

Lygosominae is the largest subfamily of skinks in the family Scincidae. The subfamily can be divided into a number of genus groups. If the rarely used taxonomic rank of infrafamily is employed, the genus groups would be designated as such, but such a move would require a formal description according to the ICZN standards.[1]

Also, several Lygosominae genera were notorious "wastebin taxa" in the past, with scientists assigning more or less closely related species to them in a haphazard fashion and without verifying that the new species were close relatives of the genera's type species. What was once placed in Lygosoma, for example, is now divided among some 15 genera. Similarly, Mabuya and Sphenomorphus are having species moved elsewhere even today.[2] Obsolete genera include Euprepis.

Egernia group

Eugongylus group

Mabuya group

Ctenotus pantherinus ocellifer at Angas Downs

Sphenomorphus group

Undetermined

"Hinulia" elegans, described by Grey in 1838, is unidentified, but may be Eulamprus tenuis.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lygosominae.
  1. J. J. Austin & E. N. Arnold (2006). "Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39 (2): 503–511. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.011. PMID 16473026.
  2. 1 2 G. M. Shea & J. P. Michels (2008). "A replacement name for Sphenomorphus keiensis (Kopstein, 1926) from the southeastern Moluccas, Indonesia (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) with a redescription of the species" (PDF). Zoologische Mededelingen. 82 (52): 737–747.
  3. 1 2 3 Karin, Benjamin R.; Metallinou, Margarita; Weinell, Jeffrey L.; Jackman, Todd R.; Bauer, Aaron M. (2016-09-01). "Resolving the higher-order phylogenetic relationships of the circumtropical Mabuya group (Squamata: Scincidae): An out-of-Asia diversification". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 220–232. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.033.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Linkem, Charles W.; Diesmos, Arvin C.; Brown, Rafe M. (2011-12-01). "Molecular systematics of the Philippine forest skinks (Squamata: Scincidae: Sphenomorphus): testing morphological hypotheses of interspecific relationships". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (4): 1217–1243. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00747.x. ISSN 1096-3642.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.