''Menetia'' 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 ...

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 ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s in the

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

Scincidae. The member

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 the genus ''Menetia'' are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. They are ground-dwellers and live in open forests and open grasslands.

Species

The following six species are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Menetia alanae ''Menetia alanae'', also known commonly as Alana's menetia and the Top End dwarf skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''alanae'' (genitive, feminine) is in h ...

'' – Alana's menetia,Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Menetia alanae'', p. 3; ''M. greyii'', p. 108; ''M. maini'', p. 166).

Top End The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ra ...

dwarf skink *''

Menetia amaura The common dwarf skink (''Menetia amaura'') is a species of skink found in Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding externa ...

'' – common dwarf skink *''

Menetia concinna The Jabiluka dwarf skink (''Menetia concinna'') is a species of skink found in Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central a ...

'' –

Jabiluka Jabiluka is a pair of uranium deposits and mine development in the Northern Territory of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr clan of Australian Aborigine, Aboriginal people. The mine site is surrounded by, but no ...

dwarf skink *''

Menetia greyii ''Menetia greyii'', commonly known as the common dwarf skink or Grey's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to mainland Australia and Indonesia. Etymology The specific name, ''greyii'', is in honour of ...

'' – common dwarf skink, Grey's menetia *''

Menetia maini The northern dwarf skink (''Menetia maini'') is a species of skink found in Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the m ...

'' – Main's menetia, northern dwarf skink *''

Menetia surda The western dwarf skink (''Menetia surda'') is a species of skink found in Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding externa ...

'' – western dwarf skink

Species

References

Further reading