Mochlus
Sundevall's writhing skink
(Mochlus s. sundevallii )
in the Soutpansberg, South Africa.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Subfamily: Lygosominae
Genus: Mochlus
Günther, 1864

Mochlus is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is endemic to Africa.

Description

Skinks of the genus Mochlus are cylindrical in shape and robust. They get the common name "writhing skinks" from the side-to-side movement that they make when held in the hand.[1]

Diet

Skinks in the genus Mochlus feed on insects and millipedes.[1]

Species

The following 19 species are recognized as being valid.[2]

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

References

  1. ^ a b Alexander, Graham; Marais, Johan (2008). A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. 408 pp. ISBN 978-1-77007-386-9. ("Writhing Skinks", pp. 247-248).
  2. ^ Genus Mochlus at The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lygosoma mocquardi, p. 181).

Further reading

Günther A (1864). "Report on a Collection of Reptiles and Fishes made by Dr. Kirk in the Zambesi and Nyassa Regions". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 303–314. (Mochlus, new genus, p. 308).


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