Brachymeles

Brachymeles is a genus of skinks (lizards in the family Scincidae). The majority of the species within the genus are endemic to certain island ecosystems in the Philippines. In 2018, the Zoological Society of London through its EDGE of Existence Program listed the Cebu small worm skink (Brachymeles cebuensis) as the 80th most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered reptile species in the world, making it the most endangered member of the genus Brachymeles.

Taxonomy

Brachymeles is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae, which seems to be paraphyletic however. Apparently part of a clade which does not seem to include the type genus Scincus, it will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily (Austin & Arnold 2006).

Species

The following species are accepted at The Reptile Database:<ref>Template:EMBL genus www.reptile-database.org.</ref>

• Brachymeles apus Template:Small – Hikida's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles bicolandia Template:Small – Bicol slender skink
• Brachymeles bicolor Template:Small – two-colored short-legged skink
• Brachymeles boholensis Template:Small – Bohol short-legged skink
• Brachymeles bonitae Template:Small – stub-limbed burrowing skink, pretty short-legged skink
• Brachymeles boulengeri Template:Small – Boulenger's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles brevidactylus Template:Small – Southern Bicol slender skink
• Brachymeles burksi Template:Small – Burks's burrowing skink
• Brachymeles cebuensis Template:Small – listed as an EDGE species by the Zoological Society of London<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> – Rabor's short-legged skink

• Brachymeles cobos Template:Small – Catanduañes slender skink
• Brachymeles dalawangdaliri Template:Small – Tablas slender skink
• Brachymeles elerae Template:Small – common short-legged skink
• Brachymeles gracilis Template:Small – graceful short-legged skink
• Brachymeles hilong Template:Small – graceful short-legged skink
• Brachymeles ilocandia Template:Small – Ilokano slender skink
• Brachymeles isangdaliri Template:Small – Aurora slender skink
• Brachymeles kadwa Template:Small – Jessi's slender skink
• Brachymeles libayani Template:Small – Lapinig Islands slender skink
• Brachymeles ligtas Template:Small – Lubang slender skink
• Brachymeles lukbani Template:Small
• Brachymeles makusog Template:Small
• Brachymeles mapalanggaon Template:Small – Masbate slender skink
• Brachymeles mindorensis Template:Small – Mindoro short-legged skink
• Brachymeles minimus Template:Small
• Brachymeles miriamae Template:Small – Miriam's skink
• Brachymeles muntingkamay Template:Small – Caraballo Mountains loam-swimming skink
• Brachymeles orientalis Template:Small – southern burrowing skink
• Brachymeles paeforum Template:Small – PAEF slender skink
• Brachymeles pathfinderi Template:Small – pathfinder short-legged skink
• Brachymeles samad Template:Small – Eastern Visayas slender skink
• Brachymeles samarensis Template:Small – Brown's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles schadenbergi Template:Small – Schadenberg's burrowing skink
• Brachymeles suluensis Template:Small – graceful short-legged skink
• Brachymeles talinis Template:Small – Duméril's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles taylori Template:Small – Taylor's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles tiboliorum Template:Small – Western Mindanao slender skink
• Brachymeles tridactylus Template:Small – three-fingered short-legged skink
• Brachymeles tungaoi Template:Small – Tungao's slender skink
• Brachymeles vermis Template:Small – Taylor's short-legged skink
• Brachymeles vindumi Template:Small – Jens's slender skink
• Brachymeles vulcani Template:Small – Camiguin Sur slender skink
• Brachymeles wrighti Template:Small – Wright's short-legged skink

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

Further reading

• Template:Aut (2006). "Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39 (2): 503–511. {{#invoke:CS1 identifiers|main|_template=doi}} (HTML abstract).
• Template:Aut (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (Genus Brachymeles, p. 386).
• Template:Aut (1839). Erpétologie générale ou Histoire naturelle complète des Reptiles. Tome cinquième [Volume 5]. Paris: Roret. viii + 854 pp. (Brachymeles, new genus, p. 776). (in French).

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