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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: May 12th, 2024.


Taxonomy of the family Scincidae
Bibliography of the genus Scelotes
Biodiversity of the family Scincidae








Genus
Scelotes

Dwarf Burrowing Skinks

Zwergwühlskinke

Dværggraveskinker

1826 Scelotes Fitzinger (type species: Bipes anguineus Merrem 1820)
1830 Zygnis Wagler [not Zygnis Oken 1816 (nomen rejectum); not Zygnis Fitzinger 1826 (Reptilia: Scincidae)] (type species: Anguis bipes Linnaeus 1766; syn. Greer 1970)
1849 Lithophilus Smith [not Lithophilus Frölich 1799] (type species: Lithophilus inornatus Smith 1849; syn. Greer 1970)
1854 Herpetosaura Peters (type species: Herpetosaura arenicola Peters 1854; syn. Greer 1970)
1861 Sepomorphus Peters (type species: Sepomorphus caffer Peters 1861; syn. Greer 1970)
1887 Herpetoseps Boulenger (type species: Herpetoseps anguinus Boulenger 1887; syn. Greer 1970)
1892 Podoclonium Cope (type species: Scelotes guentheri Boulenger 1887; syn. Shea 2021)
Contents: 21 species, of which 12 (57.1%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: S. and E. Africa.
Reported from: Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua]), Namibia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Western Cape), Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Scelotes anguinus

Algoa Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Algoa-Zwergwühlskink

Algoa-dværggraveskink

1887 Herpetoseps anguinus Boulenger
Herpetosaura anguina Boulenger 1910
Scelotes anguina Hewitt 1921
Scelotes anguineus Branch 1998

Remarks: Specific epithet spelt anguineus by some authors (e.g., Branch 1998; Bates, Branch, Bauer, Burger, Marais, Alexander & Villiers [eds.] 2014).
Distribution: South Africa (Eastern Cape).


Scelotes arenicola

Zululand Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Zululand-Zwergwühlskink

Zululand-dværggraveskink

1854 Herpetosaura arenicola Peters
Scelotes arenicola Boulenger 1887
1849 Lithophilus bicolor Smith (Branch & Bauer 2005; Bauer 2016)
Scelotes bicolor Boulenger 1887

Distribution: Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).


Scelotes bidigittatus

Lowveld Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Lowveld-Zwergwühlskink

Lowveld-dværggraveskink

1930 Scelotes bidigittatus Fitzsimons
Herpetosaura bidigittata Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Scelotes bipes

Silvery Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Silberne Zwergwühlskink

Sølv-dværggraveskink

1766 Anguis bipes Linnaeus
Lacerta bipes Gmelin 1789
Chamaesaura bipes Schneider 1799
Scelotes bipes Gray 1845
1802 Seps schneideri Daudin (Witte & Laurent 1943)
1820 Bipes anguineus Merrem (Witte & Laurent 1943)
1839 Scelotes linnaei Duméril & Bibron (Witte & Laurent 1943)
1939 Scelotes bipes namaquensis Fitzsimons (Fitzsimons 1943; Witte & Laurent 1943)

Distribution: South Africa (Western Cape).


Scelotes caffer

Cape Three-toed Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Dreizehiger Zwergwühlskink

Tretået Dværggraveskink

1861 Sepomorphus caffer Peters
Scelotes ? caffer Boulenger 1887
Scelotes caffer Boulenger 1910
Herpetosaura caffer Witte & Laurent 1943
1887 Scelotes tridactylus Boulenger (Fitzsimons 1943)
Herpetosaura tridactyla Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: South Africa (Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape).


Scelotes capensis

Namibian Dwarf Burrowing Skink, Western Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Namibischer Zwergwühlskink

Namibisk Dværggraveskink

1849 Gongylus capensis Smith
Seps capensis Günther 1871
Scelotes capensis Boulenger 1887
Herpetosaura capensis Witte & Laurent 1943
1907 Sepsina weberi Roux (Fitzsimons 1943)
Herpetosaura weberi Witte & Laurent 1943
1929 Scelotes capensis depressus Hewitt (Fitzsimons 1943)
Herpetosaura capensis depressa Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: Namibia, South Africa (Northern Cape).


Scelotes duttoni

Benguerua Island Dwarf Burrowing Skink, (Dutton's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Benguerua-Zwergwühlskink

Benguerua-dværggraveskink

1990 Scelotes duttoni Broadley

Distribution: Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua]).


Scelotes farquharsoni

Qudeni Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Qudeni-Zwergwühlskink

Qudeni-dværggraveskink

2020 Scelotes farquharsoni Raw

Distribution: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).





Scelotes fitzsimonsi

Kosi Bay Dwarf Burrowing Skink, (FitzSimons's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Kosi-Zwergwühlskink

Kosi-dværggraveskink

1994 Scelotes fitzsimonsi Broadley

Distribution: Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).


Scelotes gronovii

Cape One-toed Dwarf Burrowing Skink, (Gronovi's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Einzehiger Zwergwühlskink

Entået Dværggraveskink

1802 Seps gronovii Daudin
Scelotes gronovii Boulenger 1898

Remarks: Heideman, Mulcahy, Sites, Hendricks & Daniels (2011) redefined species boundaries within the genus Scelotes and restricted the range of the already threatened kasneri and gronovii.
Distribution: South Africa (Western Cape).


Scelotes guentheri

Natal Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Natal-Zwergwühlskink

Natal-dværggraveskink

1887 Scelotes guentheri Boulenger
Herpetosaura güntheri Witte & Laurent 1943
1994 Scelotes bourquini Broadley (syn. Raw 2021)

Remarks: Previously referred to as bourquini.
Distribution: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).


Scelotes inornatus

Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink, South African Plain Skink, (Smith's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Schmuckloser Zwergwühlskink

Prydløs Dværggraveskink

1849 Lithophilus inornatus Smith
Herpetosaura inornata Günther 1873
Scelotes inornatus Boulenger 1887
1921 Scelotes natalensis Hewitt (Broadley 1994)
Herpetosaura natalensis Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).


Scelotes insularis

Bazaruto Archipelago Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Bazaruto-Zwergwühlskink

Bazaruto-dværggraveskink

1990 Scelotes arenicola insularis Broadley
Scelotes insularis Broadley 1994

Distribution: Mozambique (incl. Bazaruto Archipelago [incl. Benguerua]).


Scelotes kasneri

Cape Two-toed Dwarf Burrowing Skink, (Kasner's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Zweizehiger Zwergwühlskink

Totået Dværggraveskink

1939 Scelotes kasneri Fitzsimons

Remarks: Heideman, Mulcahy, Sites, Hendricks & Daniels (2011) redefined species boundaries within the genus Scelotes and restricted the range of the already threatened kasneri and gronovii.
Distribution: South Africa (Western Cape).


Scelotes limpopoensis

Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing Skink, Limpopo Sand Skink

Limpopo-Zwergwühlskink

Limpopo-dværggraveskink

1930 Scelotes limpopoensis Fitzsimons
Herpetosaura limpopoensis Witte & Laurent 1943
1987 Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris Jacobsen

Other common names:
albiventris: White-bellied Dwarf Burrowing Skink
Distribution: Botswana, South Africa (Limpopo), Zimbabwe.


Scelotes mirus

Montane Dwarf Burrowing Skink, Transvaal Sand Skink

Hochland-Zwergwühlskink

Højlands-dværggraveskink

1907 Herpetosaura mira Roux
Scelotes mira Hewitt 1921

Distribution: Eswatini, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Scelotes montispectus

Bloubergstrand Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Bloubergstrand-Zwergwühlskink

Bloubergstrand-dværggraveskink

2003 Scelotes montispectus Bauer, Whiting & Sadlier

Distribution: South Africa (Western Cape).


Scelotes mossambicus

Mozambique Dwarf Burrowing Skink, (Hewitt's Dwarf Burrowing Skink)

Mosambikanischer Zwergwühlskink

Mozambiqisk Dværggraveskink

1882 Herpetosaura inornata var. mossambica Peters
Scelotes inornatus mossambicus Bruton & Haacke 1980
Scelotes mossambicus Broadley 1994
1925 Scelotes brevipes Hewitt (Broadley 1994)
Herpetosaura brevipes Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Scelotes sexlineatus

Striped Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Gestreifter Zwergwühlskink

Stribet Dværggraveskink

1824 Seps sexlineatus Harlan
Scelotes bipes sexlineatus Welch 1982
Scelotes sexlineatus Branch 1988

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of bipes (e.g., Witte & Laurent 1943).
Distribution: Namibia, South Africa (Northern Cape, Western Cape).


Scelotes uluguruensis

Uluguru Dwarf Burrowing Skink, Uluguru Fossorial Skink, Uluguru Five-toed Scelotes

Uluguru-Zwergwühlskink

Uluguru-dværggraveskink

1928 Scelotes uluguruensis Barbour & Loveridge
Proscelotes uluguruensis Witte & Laurent 1943

Distribution: Tanzania.


Scelotes vestigifer

Coastal Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Küsten-Zwergwühlskink

Kyst-dværggraveskink

1994 Scelotes vestigifer Broadley

Distribution: Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).