Scincomorpha

Scincomorpha

Scincomorphs
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic—present, 170–0 Ma
Eastern blue-tongued lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Camp, 1923
Subgroups

Scincomorpha is a group of lizards that includes skinks (family Scincidae) and their close relatives. This group has living families like Cordylidae (girdled lizards), Gerrhosauridae (plated lizards), and Xantusiidae (night lizards), as well as many extinct kinds. Other names for similar groups are Scinciformata (a suborder)[2] or Scincoidea (a superfamily), but different scientists use these names in different ways. These lizards first appeared about 170 million years ago during the Jurassic period.[3]

Systematics

In 2016, a scientist named Alifanov studied the relationships between these lizards using their body features.[4][5] His study included the family Dibamidae, which is not always included in studies that use DNA data.

Scincomorpha
Xantusiomorpha
Leptoglossa
Ardeosauroidea

†Globauridae

†Ardeosauridae

†Carusiidae

Alternatively, Zheng and Wiens (2016) studied the family tree of living groups using DNA data. Other studies using DNA have mostly agreed with their results.[6][7]

Scincoidea

All skinks share many features. They have cone-shaped heads with big, even, shield-like scales. Their scales are smooth, shiny, and round all over their bodies. On their backs and bellies, the scales are more round and overlap like roof shingles. Their bodies are round in shape, and under their skin scales, they have bony plates called "osteoderms." Osteoderms are bones in the skin that protect the skink and help control its body temperature. This is often called "dermal armor." The roof of their mouth has two bony plates instead of one. One plate is called the palate, and the other separates the breathing and eating passages. Skinks also have long, tapering tails, small legs, and five toes on each foot.

There are about 1,275 kinds of skinks all over the world. They are very common and mostly live in Southeast Asia, many parts of Australia, and cooler parts of North America. Some skinks live in deserts and are called "sand swimmers," like those found in Florida. Five-lined skinks are popular in Georgia and North Carolina. They live in forests and like to hide under fallen trees. In Africa and Indo Australia, skinks are more rare and some are in danger because of predators and loss of homes. In New Zealand, the pale-flecked garden sunskink is very common and can be found in gardens in Auckland. Some skinks live mostly on the ground or underground, some live in trees, and others live partly in water.

References

  1. ↑ Čerňanský, Andrej; Stanley, Edward L.; Daza, Juan D.; Bolet, Arnau; Arias, J. Salvador; Bauer, Aaron M.; Vidal-García, Marta; Bevitt, Joseph J.; Peretti, Adolf M.; Aung, Nyi Nyi; Evans, Susan E. (2022-01-31). "A new Early Cretaceous lizard in Myanmar amber with exceptionally preserved integument". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 1660. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05735-5. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 8803969. PMID 35102237.
  2. ↑ Vidal, Nicolas; Hedges, S. Blair (2009-02-01). "The molecular evolutionary tree of lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians" (PDF). Comptes Rendus Biologies. La théorie de Darwin revisitée par la biologie d'aujourd'hui / Darwin's theory revisited by today's biology. 332 (2): 129–139. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2008.07.010. ISSN 1631-0691. PMID 19281946.
  3. ↑ Evans, S.E. and Jones, M.E.H. (2010). "The Origin, Early History and Diversification of Lepidosauromorph Reptiles," pp. 27-44 in Bandyopadhyay, S. (ed.), New Aspects of Mesozoic Biodiversity, 27 Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences 132. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-10311-7_2 [1]
  4. ↑ Alifanov, V.R. (2016). "Lizards of the family Hodzhakuliidae (Scincomorpha) from the lower Cretaceous of Mongolia". Paleontological Journal. 50 (5): 504–513. doi:10.1134/S0031030116050038. ISSN 0031-0301.
  5. ↑ Alifanov, V.R. (2019). "Lizards of the Families Eoxantidae, Ardeosauridae, Globauridae, and Paramacellodidae (Scincomorpha) from the Aptian-Albian of Mongolia". Paleontological Journal. 53 (1): 74–88. Bibcode:2019PalJ...53...74A. doi:10.1134/S0031030119010039. S2CID 181824832.
  6. ↑ Zheng, Yuchi; Wiens, John J. (2016-01-01). "Combining phylogenomic and supermatrix approaches, and a time-calibrated phylogeny for squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) based on 52 genes and 4162 species". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94: 537–547. Bibcode:2016MolPE..94..537Z. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.009. ISSN 1055-7903.
  7. ↑ Brownstein, Chase D.; Meyer, Dalton L.; Fabbri, Matteo; Bhullar, Bhart-Anjan S.; Gauthier, Jacques A. (2022-11-29). "Evolutionary origins of the prolonged extant squamate radiation". Nature Communications. 13 (1): 7087. Bibcode:2022NatCo..13.7087B. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-34217-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 9708687.

(Skinks (Scincidae) ." Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. . Retrieved March 25, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/skinks-scincidae)

(Vitt, L. (2018, October 10). Skink. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/animal/skink)

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