6- Scincella genus :
Examples :
This species still new and not available yet in the market
Scincella
Scincella is a genus of lizards in the skink family, Scincidae, commonly referred to as ground skinks.[2] 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.
- Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) :
Species :
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Scincella apraefrontalis Nguyen et al., 2010
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Scincella assatus (Cope, 1864)
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Scincella barbouri (Stejneger, 1925)
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Scincella bilineata (Gray, 1846) = Kaestlea bilineata
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Scincella boettgeri (Van Denburgh, 1912)
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Scincella capitanea Ouboter, 1986
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Scincella caudaequinae (H.M. Smith, 1951)
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Scincella cherriei (Cope, 1893)
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Scincella darevskii Nguyen et al., 2010
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Scincella devorator (Darevsky, Orlov & Cuc, 2004)
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Scincella doriae (Boulenger, 1887)
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Scincella forbesora (Taylor, 1937)
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Scincella formosensis (Van Denburgh, 1912)
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Scincella gemmingeri (Cope, 1864)
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Scincella huanrenensis Zhao & Huang, 1982
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Scincella incerta (Stuart, 1940)
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Scincella inconspicua (F. Müller, 1894)
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Scincella kikaapoa García-Vázquez et al., 2010
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Scincella ladacensis (Günther, 1864) = Asymblepharus ladacensis
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Scincella lateralis (Say, 1823)
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Scincella macrotis (Steindachner, 1867)
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Scincella melanosticta (Boulenger, 1887)
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Scincella modesta (Günther, 1864)
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Scincella monticola (K.P. Schmidt, 1925)
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Scincella ochracea (Bourret, 1937)
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Scincella potanini (Günther, 1896)
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Scincella przewalskii (Bedriaga, 1912)
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Scincella punctatolineata (Boulenger, 1893)
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Scincella rara (Darevsky & Orlov, 1997)
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Scincella reevesii (Gray, 1838)
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Scincella rufocaudatus (Darevsky & Nguyen, 1983)
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Scincella rupicola (M.A. Smith, 1916)
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Scincella schmidti (Barbour, 1927)
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Scincella sikimmensis (Blyth, 1854) = Asymblepharus sikimmensis
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Scincella silvicola (Taylor, 1937)
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Scincella tsinlingensis (Hu & Zhao, 1966)
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Scincella vandenburghi (K.P. Schmidt, 1927)
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Scincella victoriana (Shreve, 1940)[2]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scincella lateralis is a small species of skink found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, and into northern Mexico.
Common names
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.
Scincella lateralis
Scientific classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Subphylum:Vertebrata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Sauria
Infraorder:Scincomorpha
Family:Scincidae
Genus:Scincella
Species:S. lateralis
Binomial name:
Scincella lateralis
(Say, 1823)
Synonyms:
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Scincus lateralis Say, 1823
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Scincus unicolor Harlan, 1825
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Lygosoma lateralis— A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839
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Leiolopisma laterale— Lönnberg, 1894
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Leiolopisma unicolor— Burt, 1935
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Scincella laterale— Mittleman, 1950
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Scincella lateralis— H.M. Smith & Taylor, 1950
Description :
The little brown skink is one of the smallest reptiles in North America, with a total length (including tail) of only 3 - 5.5 inches (7.5 - 14.5 cm). Its back is typically a coppery brown color with a white or yellow underside, and like most skinks has an elongated body and short legs. Transparent disks in the lower eyelids allow it to see with its eyes closed (Beane 2006, Palmer et al. 1995).
Geographic range
The ground skink is found throughout much of the Eastern United States, from New Jersey, Ohio [1], and Kansas south to Texas and Florida, as well as into northern Mexico. It is absent from higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains.
Habitat :
S. lateralis lives in a variety of habitats, including deciduous or mixed deciduous/coniferous forests, hedgerows, and the edges of streams and ponds. It does require a deep substrate, such as leaf litter.
Behavior :
The ground skink is a fossorial species, spending the majority of its time buried in leaf litter on the forest floor. Unlike other skinks, it seldom climbs trees. Its usual means of locomotion is to wriggle through the leaf litter with undulating movements. It may dive under water when pursued, although normally avoids wet areas. It is largely diurnal, but may be active at night as well. It hibernates during the coldest months, but may be active in almost any month of the year in North Carolina (Palmer et al. 1995). As befits a tiny lizard, the home range of an individual may be as small as 20 square meters (Natureserve).
Scincella lateralis
dorsal view
Diet :
The diet of the little brown skink consists of small insects, spiders, and other arthropoda, such as isopods.
As prey :
Ground skinks are, in turn, preyed upon by snakes such as the eastern racer, ringneck snake, and scarlet kingsnake. Predatory birds of woodland habitats, such as the barred owl and the red-shouldered hawk, also feed upon ground skinks. Even the eastern bluebird has been observed feeding on this tiny lizard (Palmer et al.2008, Robert Brooks 2009).
lateral view
Reproduction :
Ground skink egg after hatching.
Ground skink hatching.
Ground skink eggs.
Sexually mature S. lateralis females lay small clutches of 1-6 (usually 2-3) eggs in moist soil, rotting logs, falling logs, or under rocks. Eggs are laid during the summer, March through August in the Southern United States. There may be more than one clutch per year. In contrast to Eumeces species, the female ground skink does not guard its eggs (Robert Brooks 2009). Eggs hatch in one to two months, and young are sexually mature at one year of age.
Conservation status :
The little brown skink is a widespread and common species in most of its range. It is of conservation concern only on the northern edge of its range and can be seen in grassland or forest.
For the external links , refrences click here to read the full wikipedia article
Videos :
Scincella lateralis - Video Learning - WizScience.com
Ground Skink - scincella lateralis
Other Videos :
- www.iucnredlist.org/details/64245/0
- reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Scincella&species=lateralis
- www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60349-Scincella-lateralis
Little Brown Skink (Scincella Lateralis)
Scincella Lateralis Feeding
- Scincella silvicola :
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scincella silvicola is a species of skink that lives in the highlands of Mexico from Puebla to Oaxaca. It occurs primarily in dry, scrubby areas and forests, especially pine forests. It is generally a common species and faces no major threats. It is most likely ovoviviparous.
Like all members of the genus Scincella, S. silvicola is long and cylindrical, with short limbs. Its color is light bronze or cream, and it has a dark stripe originating at the snout and running dorsolaterally across its body. Its maximum snout-vent length is about 53 millimeters.
Scincella silvicola
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Genus:Scincella
Species:S. silvicola
Binomial name
Scincella silvicola
(Taylor, 1937)
For the external links , refrences click here to read the full wikipedia article
7- Spondylurus genus :
Other Websites :
- www.iucnredlist.org/details/64246/0
- reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Scincella&species=silvicola
The genus Spondylurus – vernacularly known as the Antillean four-lined skinks – is a Neotropical skink taxon including many species that are classified by four (occasionally three to six) dark dorsolateral stripes. This characteristic is known to fade in older individuals and colors when preserved shift from tans and browns to greens and blues, often causing confusion as to the true color.[1] Many of these species are extinct or endangered resulting from invasive predators such as the mongoose.
This genus is distributed throughout the West Indies including the Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles.[
Species :
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Spondylurus anegadae
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Spondylurus caicosae
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Spondylurus culebrae
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Spondylurus fulgidus
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Spondylurus haitiae
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Spondylurus lineolatus
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Spondylurus macleani
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Spondylurus magnacruzae
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Spondylurus martinae
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Spondylurus monae
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Spondylurus monitae
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Spondylurus nitidus
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Spondylurus powelli
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Spondylurus semitaeniatus
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Spondylurus sloanii
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Spondylurus spilonotus
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Spondylurus turksae
Examples :
This species still new and not available yet in the market
- Spondylurus powelli :
The Anguilla Bank skink (Spondylurus powelli) was discovered in the Caribbean with 20 other reptile species and was immediately listed as an endangered species. The population of this lizard has been decreasing due to the introduction of the mongoose originally to control rats in sugarcane fields, and now is an invasive species to the Caribbean Islands.[1] Many of the newly added skink species discovered along with the Anguilla Bank Skank Lizard are facing extinction for the same reason. Skinks are unique and perhaps at a disadvantage among lizards as they produce a human-like placenta and participate in live birth. The average gestation period is suggested at one year and may be the cause for the skinks being an easy target to the mongoose since they are larger and slower when pregnant and love to have sex. Other types of human activity, along with the deforestation in the Caribbean are thought to have decreased overall species numbers as well.
Spondylurus powelli
Scientific classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia(paraphyletic)
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Genus:Spondylurus
Species:S. powelli
Binomial name:
Spondylurus powelli
Hedges & Conn, 2012
Photos :
- Spondylurus nitidus :
Other websites :
- www.iucnredlist.org/details/47103272/0
- reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Spondylurus&species=nitidus
Nine Caribbean skinks petitioned for inclusion on endangered species list
courtesy to : www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/nine-caribbean-skinks-petitioned-for-inclusion-on-endangered-species-list/
By Jonathan Losos From Anole Annals
“Time is running out for these lizards,” said Collette Adkins Giese, a Center biologist and lawyer focused on protecting reptiles and amphibians. “The Caribbean is home to extremely rare animals found nowhere else in the world, but too many have already gone extinct. To save these skinks, we need to get them protected under the Endangered Species Act.”
A while back, we reported on a monograph Hedges and Conn that described an enormous number of new skink species (35) from the Caribbean. Now efforts are being made to prevent some of these species from going extinct. The Center for Biological Diversity has just filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking that nine Caribbean skink species be placed on the Endangered Species List. Those species are: Culebra Skink (Spondylurus culebrae), Mona Skink (Spondylurus monae), Monito Skink (Spondylurus monitae), Lesser Virgin Islands Skink (Spondylurus semitaeniatus), Virgin Islands Bronze Skink (Spondylurus sloanii), Puerto Rican Skink (Spondylurus nitidus), Greater Saint Croix Skink (Spondylurus magnacruzae), Greater Virgin Islands Skink (Spondylurus spilonotus) and Lesser Saint Croix Skink (Capitellum parvicruzae).
A press release from the CBD explains all:
“The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal petition today seeking Endangered Species Act protection for nine newly identified species of skinks found only in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. These rare lizards with smooth skins are on the knife’s edge of extinction due to introduced predators and habitat destruction. Reptiles around the globe are in the midst of an extinction crisis with roughly 1 in 5 species considered endangered or at risk of disappearing.
Puerto Rican skink photo © Puerto Rico Wildlife/Alfredo Colón (alfredocolon.zenfolio.com). Photos and maps are available for media use.
Scientists recently recognized the nine petitioned skinks, along with dozens of others on Caribbean islands. The scientists initiated their study after finding unusually large genetic differences among populations of these skinks on different islands in the Caribbean. All of the newly identified endemic Caribbean skinks are near extinction (or already extinct) due to introduced predators like mongooses and cats, as well as large-scale habitat destruction for development and agriculture.
This loss is alarming because reptiles play important roles as predators and prey in their ecosystems and they’re valuable indicators of environmental health. The animals in today’s petition will reap life-saving benefits from the Endangered Species Act, which has a 99 percent success rate at staving off extinction for species under its care.
“Skinks have a slow-moving curiosity and are not adapted to fast predators such as the mongoose, introduced by humans,” said Dr. Blair Hedges of Pennsylvania State University, the lead author of the 2012 study that recognized the petitioned species. “The survival of these skinks depends on the special measures of protection that only the Endangered Species Act can provide.”
Although reptiles have been around for hundreds of millions of years and survived every major extinction period, now, due largely to human impacts, they’re dying off at up to 10,000 times the historic extinction rate. About 20 percent of reptiles in the world are endangered or vulnerable to extinction. Within the Caribbean, scientists estimate that reptiles have levels of endangerment that are at or near the highest levels worldwide.
The Center was joined in its petition for these nine skinks by Dr. Renata Platenberg, an ecologist specializing in Caribbean reptiles.
Background
The petitioned-for Caribbean skinks, which can grow to be about 8 inches long, are unique among reptiles in having reproductive systems most like humans, including a placenta and live birth. They have cylindrical bodies, and most have ill-defined necks that, together with their sinuous movements and smooth, bronze-colored skin, make them look like stubby snakes.
Four of the species for which we petitioned are found within the territory of Puerto Rico: the Culebra skink (Culebra and the adjacent islet of Culebrita), Mona skink (Mona Island), Monito skink (Monito Island) and Puerto Rican skink (Puerto Rico and several of its satellite islands). The remaining five are found in the Virgin Islands: the Greater St. Croix skink (St. Croix and its satellite Green Cay), Lesser St. Croix skink (St. Croix), Greater Virgin Islands skink (St. John and St. Thomas), Lesser Virgin Islands skinks (St. Thomas and two adjacent islets, several British Virgin Islands) and Virgin Islands bronze skink (St. Thomas and several of its islets, several British Virgin Islands).
Eight of the nine petitioned-for species fall within the genus Spondylurus, and one falls within the genus Capitellum. The genus Spondylurusincludes what are now known as the Antillean four-lined skinks because of the four major dark stripes on their back and sides. Skinks in the genus Capitellum are called the Antillean small-headed skinks and have small feet and short heads, lacking dark dorsolateral stripes.”
The entire petition can be downloaded from the CBD’s website at:
For more on this story go to:
Please select or follow below :
SKINKS SPECIES : Blue - tongued skinks : Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
Five - Lined Skinks : Part 1 - 2
Other Skinks : ASIAN & AFRICAN skinks : Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Other Skinks American Part : 1 - 2 - 3
Other Skinks Australian Part : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Please select or follow below :
SKINKS SPECIES : Blue - tongued skinks : Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
Five - Lined Skinks : Part 1 - 2
Other Skinks : ASIAN & AFRICAN skinks : Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Other Skinks American Part : 1 - 2 - 3
Other Skinks Australian Part : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14