Gongylomorphus
Encyclopedia
Gongylomorphus is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...

s (family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Scincidae). It is endemic to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

 and its tiny offshore islands. It was formerly included in Scelotes
Scelotes
-Classification:Genus Scelotes*Scelotes anguina*Scelotes arenicola*Scelotes bicolor*Scelotes bidigittatus*Scelotes bipes*Scelotes bourquini*Scelotes caffer*Scelotes capensis*Scelotes duttoni...

.

This genus is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae
Scincinae
Scincinae are a subfamily of six genera of skinks. The systematics is at times controversial. The group is probably paraphyletic.- Genera :* Chalcides* Eumeces* Ophiomorus* Scincopus* Scincus* Sphenops- External links :*...

 which seems to be paraphyletic however. It belongs to a major clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...

 of this group which does not seem to include the type genus Scincus
Scincus
Scincus is a genus of skinks . All three species are typical desert inhabitants, living in sandy and dune-like areas, with a hot and dry climate. They can be found from Arabia to the Sahara desert....

however. Thus, it will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily.(Austin & Arnold 2006)

Species
  • Gongylomorphus bojerii, Bojer's skink
    Bojer's Skink
    The Bojer's Skink is a small skink from the Gongylomorphus genus.-Description:This species is named after Wenceslas Bojer. Its total size is about 11 cm, including a 6 cm tail...

  • Gongylomorphus fontenayi, Macchabe skink
  • Gongylomorphus sp., Orange-tail skink
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