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Key to the South African Genera of SCINCIDAE. 1 Nostril Pierced in A

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Key to the South African Genera of SCINCIDAE. 1 Nostril Pierced in A Key to the South African Genera of SCINCIDAE. 1 Nostril pierced in a small or moderate-sized nasal shield and well separated from rostral; prefrontals and. frontoparietals present (latt"r sometimes fused into a single shield) .. 2 Nostril pierced between the rostral and a very small nasal, which may be reduced to a narrow ring or absent; limbs short, rudimentary or absent; prefrontals and frontoparietals if present very small; scales smooth . SCELOTES, p. 176 Nostril pierced in ·the anterior part of the very large rostral, with the posterior border of which it is connected by a longi- tudinal groove'; scales smooth; limbs absent, vermiform .. 3 '2 Eyelids movable, the lower with a transparent disc; limbs well developed and pentadactyle; scales distinctly carinated MABUYA, p. 205 Eyelids movable. the lower one scaly or more or less trans­ parent; limbs short or vestigial; scales smopth or feebly carinated RIOP A, p. 233 Eyelids immovable. the lower one with a large transparent disc which completely covers the eye; limbs more or less developed, digits sometimes reduced in number; scales smooth ABLEPHARUS, p. 235 3 Eye completely exposed without rudiments of eyelids; two ) supra-oculars and two supraciliaries; 3 transversely enlarged 1 1 head shield between rostral and interparietal; no enlarged 0 2 preanal plate d e TYPHLACONTIAS, p. 238 t a d Eye covered by an eyelid or lying under head shields; supra­ ( r ciliaries present or absent; at most, two enlarged head shields e h s between rostral and interparietal; a single enlarged preanal i l b plate ',...0 ., 4 u P e 4 Lower eyelid movable, elongate, transparent or translucent;' h t 3-4 supraciliaries y b ACONTIAS, p. 240 d e t Lower eyelid immovable, oval and transparent; 2 supraciliaries n a r ACONTOPHIOPS, p. 254 g e c No eyelids present, eye lying below head shields 'and dis­ n e c cernible only as a dark spot; supraciliaries present (one or i l . two) or absent r e d TYPHLOSAURUS. p. 255 n u y SCELOTES Fitzinger. a w Bipes (non Oppel) Merrem, 1820, Tent. Syst. Amph., p. 76. e t a ?Pygodactylus Merrem. 1820. Tent. Syst. Amph., p. 77. G Scelotes 1826. 23 Sc. anguineus t Fitzinger, Neue Classif. Rept., p. (type: e Fitz, = 'bipes L.). Dumeril & Bibron, 1839. Erp. Gen., V, p. 784. n i Gray, 1845, Cat. ·Liz., p. 123. Gunther. 1871, P.Z.S. Lond., p. 241. b a Boulenger, 1887, Cat. Liz .. lH,.p. 408, and 1910, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., V, S p, 487, Sternfeld, 1911, Fauna Deutsch, Kolon., IV, 2, p. 41. y b Zygnis (non Fitzinger) Wagler, 1830. Syst. Amph" p. 160. d e Scelotes part., Wiegmann, 1834, Herp. Mex., p. 11. c u d 176 o r p e R Amphiglossus Dumeril & Bibron," 1839, Erp. Gen., V, p. 606. Gray, 1845, Cat, Liz., p. 125. Gunther; 1871, P.Z.S. Lond., p.24l. Gongylus part., Dumeril & Bibron, 1839, Erp. Gen., V, p. 613. Thyrus Gray, 1845, Cat. Liz., p. 124. Gunther, 1871, P.Z.S. Lond., p. 24l. Lithophilus (non Frolich) A. Smith, 1849, Ill. S. Afr. Zool. Rept., App., p. 12 . Herpetosaura Peters, 1854, Monatsber. Ak. ·Wiss. Berlin, p. 619, and 1882, Reise n. Mosspmb., III, p. 79. Roux, 1907, ·Zool. Jahrb. Syst., XXV, p. 437. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. Afr. Mus .. V, p. 488. ?Sepomorphus Peters, 1861, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, p. 422. Sepsina Bocage, 1866, J om. Ac. Sci. Lisb., I, p. 62. Boulenger, 1887, Cat. Liz., III, p. 417, and 1910, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., V, p. 488. Dumerilia Bocage, 1866, Jom. Ac. Sci. Lisb., I, p. 63:. Seps part., Gunther, 1871, P.Z.S. Lond., p. 24l. Rhinoscincus Peters, 1874, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, p. 374. Scincodipus Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, p. 55l. Herpetoseps Boulenger, 1887, Cat. Liz., III, p. 416. Palatine bones'in contact with One another along mesial line of palate or separated. Palate toothless. Teeth conical. Eyelids developed, lower eyelid scaly or with. a semitransparent to transparent disc. Ear-opening distinct or hidden. Nostril pierced between the rostral and a very small nasal. which may often be reduced to a very narrow ring or sometimes absent. A small postnasal present or absent. Prefrontals and frontoparietals usually absent. Body more or less elongate to distinctly elongate. Limbs more or less developed, rudimentary or absent. Terrestrial or subterrestrial in habits, showing practically all stages in limb degeneration from the presence of well-formed penta­ dactyle limbs to complete' absence thereof. Represented in South . Africa by 19 species and subspecies all of ·which are viviparous, producing from 2---4 (sometimes 5 of 6) l~ve young at a time. The characters, used in the past to differentiate the genera Herpetosaura and Sepsina from Scelotes, have been found in recent ) 1 years to occur .also in species of otherwise undoubted Scelotes, 1 0 showing thus a relationship so close as to warrant the uniting of the 2 d two .former genera (i.e. Herpetosaura & Sepsina) with the older e t Scelotes (see Hewitt, 1921, p. 3 & 1927, p. 404; Barbour & Loveridge. a d 1928, p. 164).· . ( r e Distribution: From South to Tropical Africa, and Madagascar(?) . h s . It has been suggested by Hewitt (1929, p. 7) that the Malagasy forms, i l b included in Scelotes and Sepsina by Boulenger (1887, pp. 408 & 417), u P are entitled to rank as a distinct genus Amphiglossus D. & B., e h evolved quite independently of the African genera, while the single t y Mauritian species {bojeri) appears to be assignable to yet another b genus. d e t n Key to the South African Species & Subspecies of SCELOTES. a r g e c n 1 Interparietal large, broader than frontal, in contact· on sides e c i with posterior supraoculars .. 2 l r e Interparietal small and sub triangular, narrower than frontal, d n well separated· on sides from posterior supraoculars . 16 u y 2 Both fore- and hindlimbs present 3 a w e Forelimbs absent, hindlimbs present 6 t a Both fore- and hindlimbs absent . 12 . G t e 3 Limbs pentadactyle; 2---4 median pairs of nuchal scales n i b transversely enlarged . 4 a S Limbs tri- or tetradactyle; seldom more than a single median y b pair of nuchal scales transversely enlarged 5 d e c 177 u d o r p e R 4 A small postnasal present, separating supranasal from 1st upper labial; lower eyelid. with a transparent disc; head distinctly depressed S. capensis (Smith), p. 179 No postnasal, supranasal in contact with 1st upper labial; lower eyelid scaly; head feebly depressed S. mira (Roux), p. 182 5 Both fore- and hindlimbs tridactyle; palatines in contact: 4th upper labial below the eye; 20 scales round middle of body S. caffer (Pet.), p. 183 Forelimbs tridactyle and hindlimbs tetradflctyle; palatines separated; 5th upper labial below eye: 22 scales round middle of body S. limpopoensis Fitz., p. 185 6 Hindlimbs didactyle 7 Hindlimbs monodacty Ie 10 7 Four supraoculars. all in contact with frontal; 5 supraciliaries; palatines separated: 20 scales round middle of body S. bidigittatus Fitz, p. 186 Three supraoculars, of which two are in contact with frontal; 4 sUpraciliaries: palatines in contact'; 18 or 22 scales round middle of body .. 11 8 Fourth upper labial below the eye; lower eyelid opaque. but not scaly; 22 scales round middle of body . ) 1 1 S. kasneri Fitz., p. 187 0 2 d Third upper labial below eye; lower eyelid scaly; 18 scales e t round middle of body ., . 9 a d ( 9 Length of hindlimb sub equal to distance from tip of snout to r e h posterior border of interparietal, and about 12 times into length s i l from snout to vent; frontal subequal in length t9 interparietal b u and much longer than rostral P S. bipes bipes (Linn.), p. 189 e h t y Length of hindlimb from Ii to 1" :.5 times distance from tip b of snout to posterior border of interparietal, and from 8-9 d e t times into length from snout to vent; frontal shorter than n a interparietal, equal to or slightly longer than rostral r g e S. bipes sexlineatus (Har!.). p. 190 c n e c 10 with i Three supraoculars, of which two are in contact frontal; l r 4 supraciliaries; third upper labial below eye; 18 scales round e d middle of body n u S. gronovii' (Daud.), p. 192 y a w Four supraoculars. of which three are in contact with frontal; e t a 6 supraciliaries; 4th upper labial below the eye; 18 or 20 scales G round middle of body .. 11 t e n i 11 A small postnasal. present, separating supranasal from 1st b a upper labial; no enlarged preanal scales; 20 scales round middle S y of body b S. guentheri BouI., p. 193 d e c u 178 d o r p e R No postnasal present, supranasal in contact with 1st upper labial; a pair of enlarged preanal scales; 18 scales round middle of body S. brevipes Hwt.. p. 194' 12 Three supraoculars .. 13 Four supraoculars 14 13 Nasal narrow and ringlike; a pair of enlarged preanal scales; body subquadrangular in cross-section S. bicolor (Smith), p. 195 Nasal small, elongate and oval; preanal scales not or only feebly enlarged; body subcylindrical in cross-section S. arenicola (Pet.), p. 196 14 Palatines separated; frontal short, not nearly as long as its distance from end of. snout and· shorter than interparietal; anteriormost pair of chin shields not meeting mesially S. anguina (BouI), p.
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