Spondylurus
Spondylurus is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus Spondylurus, vernacularly known as the Antillean four-lined skinks, is a neotropical skink taxon including many species.
Description
Species in the genus Spondylurus are characterized by four dark dorsolateral stripes. This characteristic is known to fade in older individuals, and colors in preservative shift from tans and browns to greens and blues, often causing confusion as to the true color in life.Conservation status
Many of the species of Spondylurus are extinct or endangered, resulting from invasive predators such as the mongoose.Geographic range
The genus Spondylurus is distributed throughout the West Indies including the Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles.Species list
The following 17 species are recognized as being valid, of which seven are considered "possibly extinct":- Spondylurus anegadae – Anegada skink
- Spondylurus caicosae – Caicos Islands skink
- Spondylurus culebrae – Culebra skink
- Spondylurus fulgidus – Jamaican skink
- Spondylurus haitiae – Hispaniolan four-lined skink
- Spondylurus lineolatus – Hispaniolan ten-lined skink
- Spondylurus macleani – Carrot Rock skink, slippery back
- Spondylurus magnacruzae – greater Saint Croix skink
- Spondylurus martinae – Saint Martin skink
- Spondylurus monae – Mona skink
- Spondylurus monitae – Monito skink
- Spondylurus nitidus – Puerto Rican skink
- Spondylurus powelli – Anguilla Bank skink
- Spondylurus semitaeniatus – Lesser Virgin Islands skink
- Spondylurus sloanii – Virgin Islands bronze skink
- Spondylurus spilonotus – Greater Virgin Islands skink
- Spondylurus turksae – Turks Islands skink