Ablepharus

Ablepharus is a genus of skinks that contains the common snake-eyed skinks.[1] Both their scientific and common names refer to the fact that their eyelids have fused to a translucent capsule; as in snakes, they thus are physically incapable of blinking.[2] They are small lizards and prefer to live in the leaf litter of dry fields and hills.[3] Their scales give them a very shiny, bronze appearance with a characteristically dark stripe down the sides of their bodies. They prey on small insects and other small mollusks.[4]

Ablepharus
European snake-eyed skink, Ablepharus kitaibelii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Subfamily:	Eugongylinae
Genus:	Ablepharus Lichtenstein, 1823
Species
Ablepharus bivittatus Ablepharus budaki Ablepharus chernovi Ablepharus darvazi Ablepharus deserti Ablepharus grayanus Ablepharus kitaibelii Ablepharus lindbergi Ablepharus pannonicus Ablepharus rueppellii

Characteristics

Appearance

The scales on all Ablepharus species are shiny and bronze in appearance. Also, a very characteristic bronze stripe runs the length of the dorsal surface of the body. They have short, weak front legs, which contribute to their moving in a serpentine-like manner. In general, females are longer and weigh more than their male counterparts. Ablepharus species have thick tails relative to their body sizes and lengths.[4] Fully mature Ablepharus species can reach a total length (including tail) of up to 15 cm (5.9 in). On average, both males and females reach a total length of up to about 13 cm (5.1 in).[5]

Mannerisms and habitat

As a whole, Ablepharus skinks are generally shy creatures. They tend to bask in the sunlight during the daytime and become more active as dusk and darkness approach.[5] They make their homes in rocky areas with leaf litter and little soil.[6]

Distribution

The geographic range of the common snake-eyed skink spans from southern European countries to northern African countries; also, some species are native to southeast Asia.[5] While most of the species in the genus prefer remaining low to the ground and in drier environments, some species may be found in damper habitats up to 2,000 m above sea level.[4]

Diet

Analysis of the stomach contents of certain Ablepharus species has led to the conclusion that common snake-eyed skinks are typically generalist predators.[6] They mainly feed on small arthropods, mollusks, and small snails.[4]

Lifecycle

In captivity, common snake-eyed skinks are known to survive up to three and a half years; in the wild, where they are preyed upon, they live about two and a half years.[4] Upon reaching reproductive maturity, the female snake-eyed skink lays between two and four eggs at a time; these eggs will then take at least 9 weeks to hatch. Hatchlings typically measure around 3.5 cm long. About two years are needed for the hatchlings to reach reproductive maturity.[4]

Species

There are ten species in the genus Ablepharus which are recognized as being valid:[1]

• A. bivittatus (Ménétries, 1832) — twin-striped skink

Found in Azerbaijan, Turkey, south-eastern and central Armenia, Iran, and Turkmenistan

Typically found in thorny shrubbery, grasslands, and rocky slopes[7]

• A. budaki Göçmen, Kumlutaş & Tosunoğlu, 1996 — Budak's snake-eyed skink

Found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus

Typically inhabits leaf litter, woodlands, shrubbery, and forests in humid areas[8]

• A. chernovi Darevsky, 1953 — Chernov's skink

Found in Syria, Turkey, and Armenia

Typically, they are found hiding under leaf litter and small stones in open areas with little shrubbery or forestation. Some may also be found on some of the gentler slopes on some mountain ranges.[9]

• A. darvazi Eremchenko & Panfilov, 1990 — Darvaz Range skink

Found in Tajikistan, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan[10]

• A. deserti Strauch, 1868 — desert lidless skink

Found in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan

Generally observed in desert lands and dry slopes with several different types of angiosperms around 2,000 m above sea level[11]

• A. grayanus (Stoliczka, 1872) — minor snake-eyed skink

Found in Central Asia, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan

Mostly found in the mountainous areas of the regions above

• A. kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833)— European snake-eyed skink

Found in southern Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary, Eastern Croatia, Albania, Greece, southern Romania, Macedonia, and Turkey

Inhabits arid regions containing meadows, scrubland, and woodland clearings, as well as hilly areas[12]

• A. lindbergi Wettstein, 1960 — Lindberg’s snake-eyed skink (sometimes A. bivittatus lindbergi )

Found in western Afghanistan[13]

• A. pannonicus (Fitzinger, 1824) — Asian snake-eyed skink

Found in the United Arab Emirates, eastern Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan, Caucasus, northwestern India, southwestern Tajikistan, southern Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and western Azerbaijan[14]

• A. rueppellii (Gray, 1839) — Rüppell's snake-eyed skink

Found in central and northern Israel, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, southern Lebanon, western and northern Jordan, and possible reported sightings in Syria and Jordan

Inhabits more heavily forested areas with dense vegetation, prefer humid areas, especially the oases in Egypt[15]

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

References

1. Ablepharus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 December 2013.
2. Orbital Lubrication Hypothesis at the Canadian Journal of Zoology
3. Ablepharus kitaibelii at the IUCN Red List
4. Snake-eyed Skink Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine at the Wildlife Archipelago Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
5. European Copper Skink at the INaturalist
6. Ablepharus Microhabitat at the Springer Link
7. Ablepharus bivittatus at the IUCN Redlist
8. Ablepharus budaki at the IUCN Redlist
9. Ablepharus chernovi at the IUCN Redlist
10. Ablepharus darvazi Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at the Study Room Archived 2015-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
11. Ablepharus desert at the IUCN Redlist
12. European copper skink at the IUCN Redlist
13. Ablepharus lindbergi at the Reptile Database
14. Ablepharus pannonicus at the Reptile Database
15. Ablepharus rueppellii at the Reptile Database

Further reading

• Lichtenstein H (1823). Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museums der Königl. Universität zu Berlin nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien und Fischen. Berlin: T. Trautwein. x + 118 pp. + one plate. (Ablepharus, new genus, p. 103). (in German and Latin).