Leiolopisma

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Scincomorpha
Superfamilia: Scincoidea

Familia: Scincidae
Subfamilia: Eugongylinae
Genus: Leiolopisma
Species (5): L. alazon – L. ceciliae – L. fasciolare – L. mauritiana – L. telfairii

Name

Leiolopisma Duméril & Bibron, 1839: 742

Type species: Scincus telfairii Desjardin, 1831, by monotypy.

Leiolopisma telfairii

References
Primary references

Duméril, A.M.C. & Bibron, G. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Tome cinquième. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: Paris. VIII + 854 pp. BHL Reference page.

Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Leiolopisma . The Reptile Database. Accessed on 11 April 2020.

Vernacular names
English: Indo-Pacific Ground Skinks

Leiolopisma is a genus of skinks. Most species occur in the region of New Caledonia-New Zealand, and they are related to other genera from that general area, such as Emoia; these and others form the Eugongylus group. One living and two extinct taxa represent a clade endemic to the Mascarenes.(Austin & Arnold 2006)

Species

Leiolopisma alazon Zug, 1985 - Lauan ground skink, Ono-i-Lau ground skink
Leiolopisma ceciliae Arnold & Bour, 2008 - extinct - Réunion giant skink
Leiolopisma fasciolare (Girard, 1858)
Leiolopisma mauritiana (Günther, 1877) - extinct (c.1600) - Mauritian giant skink
Leiolopisma telfairii (Desjardin, 1831) - Round Island skink, Telfair's skink

An undescribed extinct taxon from Réunion was close to L. mauritiana (Austin & Arnold 2006). These two were formerly separated in Didosaurus. David Day (1979), in Vanished Species, described the Reunion skink as small and fast moving but completely unafraid of humans. Individuals would climb on observer's legs. Efforts to maintain the species in captivity proved futile. The Reunion skink was reported to be completely insectivorous.
References

Austin, J.J. & Arnold, E.N. (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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.011 (HTML abstract)
Day, David; 1979. Vanished Species. Gallery Books, London, Great Britain: pp. 254–255.