Liopholis
{{Short description|Genus of lizards}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Egernia whitii.jpg
| image_caption = White's skink (Liopholis whitii)
| taxon = Liopholis
| authority = Fitzinger, 1843
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 15 species (see text)
| type_species = Lygosoma moniligera
| type_species_authority = A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1839
| synonyms = Flamoscincus
{{small|Wells & Wellington, 1984}}
}}
Liopholis is a genus of lizards in the subfamily Egerniinae of the family Scincidae (skinks). Species of the genus are found in the Australian region. They were previously placed in the genus Egernia.
Description
Liopholis are smallish to largish-sized skinks. They may attain an adult snout-to-vent length (SVL) of {{convert|75|–|200|mm|in|abbr=on}}, with a bulky angular body. They have 34–52 rows of scales at midbody; the dorsal scales are usually smooth. The nasal scale has no postnarial groove; the subocular scale row is incomplete. The eyes are relatively large, and the eyelids usually have conspicuous cream-coloured margins.{{Cite journal|last1=Gardner|first1=Michael G.|author1-link=species:Michael G. Gardner |last2=Hugall|first2=Andrew F.|author2-link=species:Andrew F. Hugall |last3=Donnellan|first3=Stephen C.|author3-link=Steve Donnellan (scientist) |last4=Hutchinson|first4=Mark N.|author4-link=species:Mark Norman Hutchinson |last5=Foster|first5=Ralph|author5-link=Ralph Foster |date=2008|title=Molecular systematics of social skinks: phylogeny and taxonomy of the Egernia group (Reptilia: Scincidae)|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=154|issue=4|pages=781–794|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00422.x|doi-access=free}}
Species
There are 15 recognized species:
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Image | Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liopholis aputja Farquhar et al., 2024 | Central Ranges rock skink | North-western South Australia. | |
| Liopholis guthega Donnellan, Hutchinson, Dempsey & Osborne, 2002 | Snowy Mountains skink, guthega skink, alpine egernia | south-eastern Australia. | |
| 120px | Liopholis inornata (Rosén, 1905) | desert egernia, unadorned desert-skink, "desert skink" | central Western Australia, most of inland South Australia, southern Northern Territory, south-west Queensland, western New South Wales and a small part of north-west Victoria |
| Liopholis kintorei (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) | Great Desert skink | Northern Territory and Western Australia. | |
| Liopholis margaretae (Storr, 1968) | MacDonnell Ranges rock-skink, Flinder's Ranges rock-skink | central Australia. | |
| Liopholis modesta (Storr, 1968) | Eastern Ranges rock-skink | eastern Australia | |
| Liopholis montana Donnellan, Hutchinson, Dempsey & Osborne, 2002 | montane rock-skink, mountain egernia, "mountain skink" | south-eastern Australia | |
| Liopholis multiscutata (Mitchell & Behrndt, 1949) | bull skink, southern sand-skink, heath skink | southern Australia | |
| Liopholis parva (Aplin et al., 2024) | north-western Australia | ||
| Liopholis personata (Storr, 1968) | southern Australia | ||
| Liopholis pulchra (F. Werner, 1910) | southwestern rock-skink, spectacled rock skink, Jurien Bay rock-skink | south-western Australia | |
| Liopholis purnululu (Aplin et al., 2024) | north-western Australia | ||
| Liopholis slateri (Storr, 1968) | Slater's desert skink, Centralian Floodplains desert-skink, Slater's egernia, Slater's skink | Northern Territory and Southern Australia in central Australia | |
| Liopholis striata (Sternfeld, 1919) | night skink, nocturnal desert-skink, striated egernia | western Australia | |
| 120px | Liopholis whitii (Lacépède, 1804) | White's skink, White's rock-skink | south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania and many Bass Strait islands |
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Liopholis.
References
Further reading
- Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Liopholis, new genus, p. 22). (in Latin).
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