''Ablepharus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...
s that contains the common snake-eyed skinks.
Both their scientific and common names refer to the fact that their
eyelid
An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eyel ...
s have fused to a translucent capsule; as in
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s, they thus are physically incapable of blinking. They are small lizards and prefer to live in the leaf litter of dry fields and hills. Their scales give them a very shiny, bronze appearance with a characteristically dark stripe down the sides of their bodies. They prey on small insects and other small mollusks.
[Snake-eyed Skink](_blank)
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Wildlife Archipelago
Characteristics
Appearance
The scales on all ''Ablepharus'' species are shiny and bronze in appearance. Also, a very characteristic bronze stripe runs the length of the
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal co ...
surface of the body. They have short, weak front legs, which contribute to their moving in a serpentine-like manner. In general, females are longer and weigh more than their male counterparts. ''Ablepharus'' species have thick tails relative to their body sizes and lengths.
Fully mature ''Ablepharus'' species can reach a total length (including tail) of up to . On average, both males and females reach a total length of up to about .
[European Copper Skink](_blank)
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INaturalist
/ref>
Mannerisms and habitat
As a whole, ''Ablepharus'' skinks are generally shy creatures. They tend to bask in the sunlight during the daytime and become more active as dusk and darkness approach. They make their homes in rocky areas with leaf litter and little soil.[ Ablepharus Microhabitat](_blank)
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Springer Link
/ref>
Distribution
The geographic range of the common snake-eyed skink spans from southern European countries to northern African countries; also, some species are native to southeast Asia. While most of the species in the genus prefer remaining low to the ground and in drier environments, some species may be found in damper habitats up to 2,000 m above sea level.
Diet
Analysis of the stomach contents of certain ''Ablepharus'' species has led to the conclusion that common snake-eyed skinks are typically generalist predators. They mainly feed on small arthropods, mollusks, and small snails.
Lifecycle
In captivity, common snake-eyed skinks are known to survive up to three and a half years; in the wild, where they are preyed upon, they live about two and a half years. Upon reaching reproductive maturity, the female snake-eyed skink lays between two and four eggs at a time; these eggs will then take at least 9 weeks to hatch. Hatchlings typically measure around 3.5 cm long. About two years are needed for the hatchlings to reach reproductive maturity.
Species
:
There are 19 species in the genus ''Ablepharus'' which are recognized as being valid:[
*'' A. alaicus''
:Found in China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan
*''A. bivittatus'' — ]twin-striped skink
The twin-striped skink (''Ablepharus bivittatus'') is a skink native to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, northwestern Iran and Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), ...
:Found in Azerbaijan, Turkey, south-eastern and central Armenia, Iran, and Turkmenistan
:Typically found in thorny shrubbery, grasslands, and rocky slopes
*''A. budaki'' — Budak's snake-eyed skink
:Found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus
:Typically inhabits leaf litter, woodlands, shrubbery, and forests in humid areas
*''A. chernovi'' — Chernov's skink
:Found in Syria, Turkey, and Armenia
:Typically, they are found hiding under leaf litter and small stones in open areas with little shrubbery or forestation. Some may also be found on some of the gentler slopes on some mountain ranges.
*'' A. darvazi'' — Darvaz Range
The Darvaz Range or Darvoz Range ( tg, пуштаи Дарвоз) is a mountain range in the Western Pamirs, in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. Its name derives from the historical region of Darvaz. ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia''
...
skink
:Found in Tajikistan, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
*''A. deserti'' — desert lidless skink
:Found in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan
:Generally observed in desert lands and dry slopes with several different types of angiosperms around 2,000 m above sea level
*'' A. eremchenkoi''
:Found in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
*''A. grayanus'' — minor snake-eyed skink
:Found in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Turkmenistan
*'' A. himalayanus''
:Found in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
*''A. kitaibelii'' — European snake-eyed skink
''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', commonly known as the European copper skink, European snake-eyed skink, juniper skink, or snake-eyed skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Eastern Europe and Southwe ...
:Found in southern Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary, Eastern Croatia, Albania, Greece, southern Romania, Macedonia, and Turkey
:Inhabits arid regions containing meadows, scrubland, and woodland clearings, as well as hilly areas
*'' A. ladacensis''
:Found in Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
(China), North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
, western Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, and northern Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
*''A. lindbergi'' — Lindberg’s snake-eyed skink (sometimes ''A. bivittatus lindbergi'' )
:Found in western Afghanistan
*'' A. mahabharatus''
:Found in Nepal.
*'' A. nepalensis''
:Found in Nepal.
*''A. pannonicus'' — Asian snake-eyed skink
The Asian snake-eyed skink (''Ablepharus pannonicus'') is a species of skink. It is found in Georgia, southern Turkmenistan, southern Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, western Azerbaijan, eastern Iran, Iraq, Oman, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, ...
:Found in the United Arab Emirates, eastern Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan, Caucasus, northwestern India, southwestern Tajikistan, southern Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and western Azerbaijan
*''A. rueppellii'' — Rüppell's snake-eyed skink
''Ablepharus rueppellii'', known commonly as Rüppell's snake-eyed skink, is a species of skink found in the Middle East. It was formerly considered a subspecies of ''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', but has since been distinguished. What is currently r ...
:Found in central and northern Israel, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, southern Lebanon, western and northern Jordan, and possible reported sightings in Syria and Jordan
:Inhabits more heavily forested areas with dense vegetation, prefer humid areas, especially the oases in Egypt ''Ablepharus rueppellii''
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Reptile Database
/ref>
*'' A. sikimmensis''
:Found in Bangladesh (Rangpur), Bhutan, China (Tibet), India (Darjeeling, Sikkim) and Nepal.
*'' A. tragbulensis''
:Found in India and Pakistan.
''Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...
'': A binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Ablepharus''.
References
Further reading
* Lichtenstein H (1823). ''Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museums der Königl. Universität zu Berlin nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien und Fischen''. Berlin: T. Trautwein. x + 118 pp. + one plate. (''Ablepharus'', new genus, p. 103). (in German and Latin).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q480336
Lizards of Asia
Lizards of Europe
Lizard genera
Taxa named by Hinrich Lichtenstein