What is "lygosominae"

Lygosominae is the largest subfamily of skinks in the family Scincidae. The subfamily can be divided into a number of genus groups. If the rarely used taxonomic rank of infrafamily is employed, the genus groups would be designated as such, but such a move would require a formal description according to the ICZN standards.

Also, several Lygosominae genera were notorious " wastebin taxa" in the past, with scientists assigning more or less closely related species to them in a haphazard fashion and without verifying that the new species were close relatives of the genera's type species. What was once placed in Lygosoma, for example, is now divided among some 15 genera. Similarly, Mabuya and Sphenomorphus are having species moved elsewhere even today. Obsolete genera include Euprepis.

Egernia group

• Corucia – Solomon Islands skink
• Cyclodomorphus
• Egernia – ( paraphyletic: including Bellatorias, Liopholis and Lissolepis, which are better regarded as distinct)
• Tiliqua – blue-tongued skinks

Eugongylus group

• Bassiana (= Acritoscincus) – "cool-skins"
• Carlia – four-fingered skinks
• Cryptoblepharus – snake-eyed skinks, shining-skinks
• Emoia – emoias
• Eugongylus – mastiff skinks, short-legged giant skinks
• Lampropholis – Indo-Australian ground skinks
• Leiolopisma
• Niveoscincus – snow skinks, "cool-skins"
• Oligosoma

Mabuya group

• Chioninia – Cape Verde mabuyas (formerly in Mabuya)
• Dasia — Southeast Asian tree skinks, including Apterygodon (now considered to be part of Dasia)
• Eumecia — Central African elongated skinks
• Eutropis – Asian (formerly in Mabuya)
• Heremites — Mediterranean (North Africa and Middle Eastern species)
• Mabuya – American mabuyas
• Toenayar — composed of a single species in India/Indochina
• Trachylepis – Afro-Malagasy mabuyas (formerly in Mabuya)

Sphenomorphus group

• Anomalopus – worm-skinks
• Ctenotus – comb-eared skinks
• Eulamprus – water skinks
• Glaphyromorphus
• Gnypetoscincus – Prickly Skink
• Insulasaurus
• Lipinia – lipinias
• Otosaurus
• Parvoscincus
• Pinoyscincus
• Scincella – ground skinks
• Sphenomorphus – common skinks (paraphyletic)
• Tytthoscincus

Undetermined

• Eremiascincus
• Hemisphaeriodon – pink-tongued skinks
• Lamprolepis – tree skinks
• Lerista
• Lobulia
• Lygosoma – writhing skinks
• Saproscincus – shade skinks
• Tribolonotus – crocodile skinks (Egernia group?)

"Hinulia" elegans, described by Grey in 1838, is unidentified, but may be Eulamprus tenuis.