Spondylurus
Spondylurus is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus Spondylurus, vernacularly known as the Antillean four-lined skinks, is a neotropical skink taxon including many species.
| Spondylurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spondylurus powelli | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Mabuyinae |
| Genus: | Spondylurus Fitzinger, 1826 |
Description
Species in the genus Spondylurus are characterized 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 in life.[1]
Conservation status
Many of the species of Spondylurus are extinct or endangered, resulting from invasive predators such as the mongoose.[2]
Geographic range
The genus Spondylurus is distributed throughout the West Indies including the Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles.[3]
Species list
These 17 species are recognized, of which 7 are considered "possibly extinct":[4]
- Spondylurus anegadae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Anegada skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus caicosae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Caicos Islands skink
- Spondylurus culebrae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Culebra skink
- Spondylurus fulgidus (Cope, 1862) – Jamaican skink
- Spondylurus haitiae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Hispaniolan four-lined skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus lineolatus (Noble, 1933) – Hispaniolan ten-lined skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus macleani (Mayer & Lazell, 2000 – Carrot Rock skink
- Spondylurus magnacruzae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – greater Saint Croix skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus martinae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Saint Martin skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus monae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Mona skink
- Spondylurus monitae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Monito skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus nitidus (Garman, 1887) – Puerto Rican skink
- Spondylurus powelli Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Anguilla Bank skink
- Spondylurus semitaeniatus (Wiegmann, 1837) – Lesser Virgin Islands skink
- Spondylurus sloanii (Daudin, 1803) – Virgin Islands bronze skink
- Spondylurus spilonotus (Wiegmann, 1837) – Greater Virgin Islands skink (possibly extinct)
- Spondylurus turksae Hedges & Conn, 2012 – Turks Islands skink
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Spondylurus.
References
- "A new skink fauna from Caribbean islands (Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuyinae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- "24 New Species of Lizards Discovered on Caribbean Islands are Close to Extinction". Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- Fitzinger (1826). "Spondylurus".
- "Spondylurus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
- Fitzinger LI (1826). Neue Classification der Reptilien nach ihren natürlichen Verwandtschaften. Nebst einer Verwandtschafts-tafel und einem Verzeichnisse der Reptilien-Sammlung des K. K. zoologischen Museum's zu Wien. Vienna: J.G. Heubner. five unnumbered + 67 pp. + one plate. (Spondylurus, new genus, p. 23). (in German).