''Praeteropus'' is a genus of worm-skinks, smallish smooth-scaled burrowing

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 Scincidae. The genus is endemic to the eastern half of

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 ...

. The genus belongs to a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

in the '' Sphenomorphus'' group which contains such

genera 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 nomenclat ...

as '' Ctenotus'' and the close relatives ''

Eulamprus ''Eulamprus'' is a genus of lizards, commonly known as water skinks, in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The genus is native to Australia. Taxonomy The genus ''Eulamprus'' belongs to a clade in the ''Sphenomorphus'' grou ...

'' and '' Gnypetoscincus'' (Austin & Arnold 2006).

Species

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

Praeteropus auxilliger ''Praeteropus auxilliger'' is a species 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 Scincida ...

'' *''

Praeteropus brevicollis The short-necked worm-skink (''Praeteropus brevicollis'') is a species 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 taxono ...

'' – short-necked worm-skink (northeastern Australia) *''

Praeteropus gowi ''Praeteropus gowi'', also known commonly as Gow's burrowing skink and the speckled worm-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Queensland in Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''gowi'', is in ...

'' – Gow's burrowing skink, speckled worm-skink (northeastern Australia) *''

Praeteropus monachus ''Praeteropus monachus'' is a species 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 ...

'' '' Nota bene'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Praeteropus''.

References

Lizard genera Taxa named by Mark Norman Hutchinson Taxa named by Patrick J. Couper Taxa named by Andrew P. Amey {{sphenomorphinae-stub