''Spondylurus'' 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 ...

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 genus ''Spondylurus'', vernacularly known as the Antillean four-lined skinks, is a neotropical

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 ...

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

including many

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 ...

Description

Species in the genus ''Spondylurus'' are characterized by four (occasionally three to six) dark

dorsolateral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

stripes. This characteristic is known to fade in older individuals, and colors when preserved shift from tans and browns to greens and blues, often causing confusion as to the true color in life.

Conservation status

Many of the species of ''Spondylurus'' are extinct or

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

, resulting from invasive predators such as the

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

Geographic range

The genus ''Spondylurus'' is distributed throughout the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

including the

Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and nor ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

Species list

These 17 species are recognized, of which 7 are considered "possibly extinct":"''Spondylurus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Spondylurus anegadae'' – Anegada skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus caicosae'' – Caicos Islands skink *'' Spondylurus culebrae'' – Culebra skink *'' Spondylurus fulgidus'' – Jamaican skink *'' Spondylurus haitiae'' – Hispaniolan four-lined skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus lineolatus'' – Hispaniolan ten-lined skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus macleani'' – Carrot Rock skink *'' Spondylurus magnacruzae'' – greater Saint Croix skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus martinae'' – Saint Martin skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus monae'' – Mona skink *'' Spondylurus monitae'' – Monito skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus nitidus'' – Puerto Rican skink *'' Spondylurus powelli'' – Anguilla Bank skink *'' Spondylurus semitaeniatus'' – Lesser Virgin Islands skink *''

Spondylurus sloanii ''Spondylurus sloanii'', also known Common name, commonly as Sloane's skink or the Virgin Islands bronze skink, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Scincidae. The species is native to the United States Virgin Islands and the Br ...

'' – Virgin Islands bronze skink *'' Spondylurus spilonotus'' – Greater Virgin Islands skink (possibly extinct) *'' Spondylurus turksae'' – Turks Islands skink ''

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 ''Spondylurus''.

Description

Conservation status

Geographic range

Species list

References

Further reading