The genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Eumeces skink

Skink

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...

s (family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Scincidae) comprises four African to Middle-Eastern species.

Systematics

Two taxonomic revisions have been made in the 19th century regarding genus Eumeces. They both resulted in similar results; the genus is paraphyletic and must be sliced up into several different genera. Griffith et al. (2000) proposed that the type species for Eumeces, E. pavimentatus, which is considered by many to be a subspecies of Eumeces schneideri

Eumeces schneideri

Schneider's Skink , Eumeces schneideri, is a species of skink found in central and west Asia and north Africa. It is named after the German zoologist, Johann Gottlob Schneider.-Description:Head moderate; snout short, obtuse...

, should be changed to Lacerta fasciata, so that the genus name Eumeces would stay with the most species rich clade. However this petition has not been verified by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Schimtz et al. argued that Griffith et al. violated the Code and rejected the proposal on good grounds. Thus only the African species of Eumeces schneideri

Eumeces schneideri

Schneider's Skink , Eumeces schneideri, is a species of skink found in central and west Asia and north Africa. It is named after the German zoologist, Johann Gottlob Schneider.-Description:Head moderate; snout short, obtuse...

-group belong to the genus Eumeces.

Within Eumeces the following species are recognized:

• Eumeces algeriensis
• Eumeces blythianus
  Eumeces blythianus
  Eumeces blythianus is a species of skink found in India and Pakistan, named after Edward Blyth , Curator of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.-References:...
  
  
• Eumeces schneideri
  Eumeces schneideri
  Schneider's Skink , Eumeces schneideri, is a species of skink found in central and west Asia and north Africa. It is named after the German zoologist, Johann Gottlob Schneider.-Description:Head moderate; snout short, obtuse...
  
  

Some species that were formerly considered Eumeces have now been assigned to new genera:

Now in Plestiodon

Plestiodon

Plestiodon is the name for a genus of lizards formerly referred to as Eumeces, except those now placed in Mesoscincus.The genus Plestiodon are skinks...

• Plestiodon anthracinus, Coal Skink
  Coal Skink
  The Coal Skink is a North-American lizard that grows to 13 to 18 cm in length with a maximum snout to vent length of 7 cm . It is a four-lined skink whose light stripes extend onto the tail. The broad dark lateral stripe is 4 - 4.5 scales wide and there are no light lines on top of the...
  
  
• Plestiodon barbouri, Barbour's Skink (Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  )
• Plestiodon brevirostris, Short-nose Skink (Mexico
  Mexico
  The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
  
  )
• Plestiodon callicephalus, North American Mountain Skink
• Plestiodon capito
• Plestiodon chinensis, Chinese Skink (East Asia: China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  , Korea
  Korea
  Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
  
  , Japan)
• Plestiodon colimensis (Mexico)
• Plestiodon copei (Mexico)
• Plestiodon coreensis, Korean Skink (Korea)
• Plestiodon dugesii (Mexico) - rare
• Plestiodon egregius, Mole Skink
  Mole Skink
  The Mole Skink is a species of small lizard living in the Southeastern United States.-Taxonomy:The species is subdivided into five subspecies:...
  
  
• Plestiodon elegans, Elegant Skink, Five-striped Blue-tailed Skink (juvenile), or Shanghai Skink (East Asia)
• Plestiodon fasciatus, Common Five-lined Skink
• Plestiodon gilberti, Gilbert's Skink
  Gilbert's Skink
  Gilbert's Skink is a heavy-bodied medium-sized lizard of the family of skinks living in the south-western United States. It grows to about 7 to 12 cm total length.- Taxonomy :...
  
   (North America)
• Plestiodon inexpectatus, Southeastern Five-lined Skink
  Southeastern five-lined Skink
  The Southeastern five-lined skink is a common skink in the southeastern United States. Its scientific name E...
  
  
• Plestiodon kishinouyei, Kishinoue's Giant Skink
  Kishinoue's Giant Skink
  The Kishinoue's Giant Skink is a species of skink in the Scincidae family found only in Japan.The species name is a tribute to Japanese fisheries biologist Kamakichi Kishinouye .-Source:...
  
  
• Plestiodon lagunensis, San Lucan Skink
  San Lucan Skink
  The San Lucan Skink, Eumeces lagunensis, is a skink native to the Baja California peninsula.Together with the Western Skink , Gilbert's Skink , and the Four-lined Asiatic Skink , the San Lucan Skink belongs to the so-called "skiltonianus group"...
  
  
• Plestiodon laticeps, Broad-headed Skink
  Broad-headed Skink
  The Broad-headed Skink is — together with the Great Plains Skink — the largest of the Eumeces-skinks, growing to a total length of to nearly .-Description:...
  
  
• Plestiodon latiscutatus, Japanese Skink (Japan)
• Plestiodon liui (Asia)

• Plestiodon longirostris, Bermuda Rock Skink
  Bermuda Rock Skink
  The Bermuda Rock Skink or Rock Lizard is the only endemic terrestrial vertebrate animal of the Bermudas...
  
  
• Plestiodon lynxe, Oak Forest Skink (Mexico)
• Plestiodon marginatus, Ryūkyū Five-lined Skink (Okinawa and Amami Islands
  Amami Islands
  The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
  
  )
• Plestiodon multilineatus
• Plestiodon multivirgatus, Many-lined Skink
  Many-lined Skink
  The Many-lined Skink is a medium-sized member of the Eumeces skinks, a kind of lizard, living in North America.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
  • Plestiodon (multivirgatus) gaigeae, Variable Skink (North America) - sometimes Eumeces (multivirgatus) epipleurotus
• Plestiodon obsoletus, Great Plains Skink
  Great Plains Skink
  The Great Plains Skink is — together with the Broad-headed Skink — the largest skink of the genus Eumeces...
  
  
• Plestiodon ochoterenae
• Plestiodon okadae, Okada's Five-lined Skink (Japan)
• Plestiodon parviauriculatus, Northern Pygmy Skink (Mexico)
• Plestiodon parvulus, Southern Pygmy Skink (Mexico)
• Plestiodon popei (Asia)
• Plestiodon quadrilineatus, Four-lined Asian Skink
• Plestiodon septentrionalis, Prairie Skink
  Prairie Skink
  The Prairie Skink is a skink living in the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is one of only five species of lizards that occur in Canada.-Taxonomy:...
  
   - includes Eumeces obtusirostris
• Plestiodon skiltonianus, Western Skink
  Western Skink
  The Western Skink is a small, smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs, measuring about 100 to 200 mm long. It is one of five species of lizards in Canada. Western skinks are very adaptable. They spend much of their day basking in the sun. Their diet ranges widely, including spiders...
  
  
• Plestiodon stimpsonii, Yaeyama Seven-lined Skink (Japan)
• Plestiodon sumichrasti (Mexico)
• Plestiodon tamdaoensis
• Plestiodon tetragrammus, Four-lined Skink
  Four-lined Skink
  The Four-lined Skink is a medium-sized member of the Eumeces skinks, a kind of lizard.- Taxonomy :There are several subspecies:* Long-lined Skink The Four-lined Skink (Eumeces tetragrammus) is a medium-sized member of the Eumeces skinks, a kind of lizard.- Taxonomy :There are several subspecies:*...
  
  
• Plestiodon tunganus

Now in Eurylepis

Eurylepis

-Classification:Genus Eurylepis*Eurylepis indothalensis*Eurylepis poonaensis*Eurylepis taeniolatus...

:

• Eumeces indothalensis - now Eurylepis indothalensis
• Eumeces poonaensis - now Eurylepis poonaensis
  Eurylepis poonaensis
  Eurylepis poonaensis, common name Poona Skink, is a species of skink found in India.-References:* Griffith, H., A. Ngo & R. W. Murphy 2000 A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces Wiegmann . Russ. J. Herpetol...
  
  
• Eumeces taeniolatus - now Eurylepis taeniolatus
  Eurylepis taeniolatus
  Alpine Punjab Skink Eurylepis taeniolatus is a species of skink found in Central Asia and West Asia.- Description :Eurylepis taeniolatus Blyth 1854 is the type species of the genus Eurylepis....
  
  

Now in Mesoscincus

Mesoscincus

Mesoscincus is a genus comprising three species of skink native to Mexico and Central America. They were formerly included in the genus Eumeces.- Species :*Tepalcatepec Skink, Mesoscincus altamirani - Mexico....

:

• Eumeces altamirani - now Mesoscincus altamirani
• Eumeces managuae - now Mesoscincus managuae
• Eumeces schwartzei - now Mesoscincus schwartzei