''Lygosoma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of lizards, commonly known as supple skinks or writhing skinks, which are members of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scincidae. ''Lygosoma'' is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

of the subfamily

Lygosominae Lygosominae is the largest subfamily of skinks in the family Scincidae. The subfamily can be divided into a number of genus groups. If the rarely used taxonomic rank of infrafamily is employed, the genus groups would be designated as such, but s ...

. The common name, writhing skinks, refers to the way these stubby-legged animals move,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

-like but more slowly and more awkwardly.

Geographic range

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''Lygosoma'' are found in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to southeast Asia.

Taxonomy

In the late 19th and early 20th century, ''Lygosoma'' was used as a " wastebin taxon", to which almost every newly described skink was assigned. Which specific species are contained within this genus is controversial because of its unresolved historic relation to two other closely-related genera: ''Mochlus'' and ''Lepidothyris.'' Currently, there are 16 known species in ''Lygosoma'', 15 known species in ''Mochlus'', and three known species in ''Lepidothyris''. However, some species under the latter two genera are often listed under ''Lygosoma'', and ''Lygosoma'' was recently found to be paraphyletic to the other two genera based on phylogenetic studies. To clear up this confusion, all species (49) pertaining to these three genera are classified as ''Lygosoma s.l.'' and the known 16 species under ''Lygosoma'' are classified as ''Lygosoma s.s.'''' After performing extensive phylogenetic analyses (genetic and molecular, species tree, and morphological anaylses), the classification of ''Lygosoma s.l.'' was further revised to containing four genera: ''Lygosoma'' (Southeast Asian Writhing Skinks), ''Mochlus'' (African Supple Skinks), ''Riopa'' (Asian Gracile Skinks), and ''Subdoluseps'' gen. nov. (Asian Agile Skinks). Genus ''Lygosoma s.s.'' was found to be separated into three clades instead of being a monophyletic group in relation to other genera within ''Lygosoma s.l.'', which in turn renamed this genus to ''Lygosoma'' and contains species that have ''Lygosoma quadrupes'' as their common ancestor. ''Mochlus'' was also found to be paraphyletic to ''Lepidothyris'', making it not a monophyletic group and ultimately grouping genera ''Mochlus'' and ''Lepidothyris'' as one genus, ''Mochlus''. ''

Riopa ''Riopa'' is a genus of skinks. It is easy to tell the species apart from most other skinks by bright red coloring on their sides from which they get their name. They also have a bule that runs down the side of their tail. Diet The riopas are o ...

'' was a recently discovered genus from about 11 years ago and was supported as a monophyletic group within ''Lygosoma s.l.'', and '' Subdoluseps'' gen. nov. is also a newly added genus to this group.

Species

The following species are recognized. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Lygosoma angeli'' ( M.A. Smith, 1937) – Angel's writhing skink *'' Lygosoma bampfyldei'' Bartlett, 1895 – Bampfylde's supple skink, Bampfylde's writhing skink *'' Lygosoma boehmei'' Ziegler et al., 2007 *'' Lygosoma corpulentum'' M.A. Smith, 1921 – fat skink *'' Lygosoma haroldyoungi'' (Taylor, 1962) – banded supple skink, Harold's writhing skink, Harold Young's supple skink *'' Lygosoma isodactylum'' (Günther, 1864) – Siamese writhing skink, even-toed supple skink *'' Lygosoma kinabatanganense'' Grismer, Quah, Duzulkafly & Yambun, 2018 – Kinabatangan supple skink *'' Lygosoma koratense'' M.A. Smith, 1917 – Korat supple skink, Koraten writhing skink *'' Lygosoma opisthorhodum'' F. Werner, 1910 *'' Lygosoma peninsulare'' Grismer, Quah, Duzulkafly & Yambun, 2018 *'' Lygosoma quadrupes'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1766) – short-limbed supple skink, Linnaeus's writhing skink *'' Lygosoma schneideri'' F. Werner, 1900 – Sumatran supple skink *'' Lygosoma siamense'' Siler, Heitz, Davis, Freitas, Aowphol, Termprayoon & Grismer, 2018 – Siamese supple skink *'' Lygosoma singha'' (Taylor, 1950) *'' Lygosoma tabonorum'' Heitz, Diesmos, Freitas, Ellsworth & Grismer, 2016 – Palawan supple skink *'' Lygosoma veunsaiense'' Geissler, Hartmann & Neang, 2012 ''

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 ''Lygosoma''.

Geographic range

Taxonomy

Species

References

Further reading