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]

Scincella
Scincella lateralis, a ground skink
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Subfamily: Sphenomorphinae
Genus: Scincella
Mittleman, 1950[1]
Synonyms

Description

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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).

Species

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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.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "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

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  • Mittleman MB (1950). "The Generic Status of Scincus lateralis Say, 1823". Herpetologica 6 (2): 17–24. (Scincella, new genus).
  • Ouboter PE (1986). "A revision of the genus Scincella (Reptilia: Sauria: Scincidae) of Asia, with some notes on its evolution". Zoologische Verhandelingen 229: 1-66.