taxonID	type	description	language	source
116E879AFFE0FFD1FF2DFDC9FC47FE1F.taxon	etymology	Etymology. From the Latin pygmaea for pygmy. Referring to the very small size of the three species. These skinks, at SVL <30 mm, are amongst the smallest skinks in the world (Greer 2001).	en	Couper, Patrick J., Hoskin, Conrad J. (2014): A new genus to accommodate three skinks currently assigned to Menetia (Lacertilia: Scincidae). Zootaxa 3884 (6): 597-599, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3884.6.8
116E879AFFE0FFD1FF2DFDC9FC47FE1F.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Pygmaeascincus is a genus of small litter skinks that is distinguished from all other Australian skinks by the following character states: small size (SVL <30 mm); limbs short and widely separated when adpressed; digital formula 4 / 5 (four fingers, five toes) with ≤ 10 supradigital scales on fourth toe; frontoparietals and interparietal fused into a single shield; eyelid preablepharine; supraoculars transverse, ≤ 3, squarish, with only the 1 st contacting the frontal. TABLE 1. A comparison of character states in Pygmaeascincus and Menetia. Definition of traits: 1. Interparietal fused with frontoparietal as single shield, or interparietal free. 2. 1 st supraocular shape: squarish (* for P. timlowi this is the typical condition, but in the rarer case of just 2 supraoculars, the 1 st supraocular is elongate) vs elongate (distinctly longer than wide). 3. Number of supraciliaries. 4. Size of supraciliaries. 5. Eyelid state: (A) preablepharine, (B) ablepharine. 6. Modal number of midbody scales. 7. Modal number of subdigital lamellae under 4 th toe. 8. Number of supradigital scales on 4 th toe. 9. Pefrontals: (A) moderate, smaller than frontal, (B) large, subequal to frontal. 10. Spacing between prefrontals: (A) moderate, (B) very narrow or in point contact. 11. Nasals: (A) small, (B) moderate. 12. Colour of iris in preservative. 13. Breeding males with orange flush on tail. 14. Venter colour pattern: (A) sparsely to heavily flecked, (B) light brown, (C) whitish. 15. Number of supraoculars. 16. Enlarged upper palprebrals. Character P. timlowi P. sadlieri P. koshlandae M. greyii M. alanae M. cocinna M. maini M. surda 1. interparietal fused fused fused free free free free free 2. 1 st supraocular squarish * squarish squarish elongate elongate elongate elongate elongate 3. supraciliaries 5 – 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 – 4 4. size of supraciliaries subequal subequal subequal 2 nd largest 2 nd largest 2 nd largest 2 nd largest 2 nd largest 5. eyelid A A A B B B B B 6. midbodies 18 – 20 20 20 22 23 20 22 22 7. subdig. lam. 16 15 16 22 23 18 19 22 8. supradig. lam. ≤ 10 ≤ 10 ≤ 10 ≥ 11 ≥ 11 ≥ 11 ≥ 11 ≥ 11 9. pefrontal size A A A B B B B B 10. prefrontal spacing A A A B B B B B 11. nasals A A A B B B B B 12. iris colour dark dark dark light light light light light 13. orange flush on tail of males yes yes yes no no no no no 14. ventral colour pattern A B C C C C C 15. supraoculars usually 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 16. upper palprebrals enlarged enlarged not enlarged not enlarged not enlarged not enlarged not enlarged not enlarged The ‘ timlowi’ species group is separated from Menetia, to which it was most recently assigned by at least 14 characters (1 – 14 in Table 1). The polarity of most of these characters remains uncertain. One of these is clearly a derived character (Greer 1991): frontoparietals fused with interparietal to form a single shield (vs interparietal distinct from fused frontoparietals) and is a very rare condition seen in only a few other Australian skinks (Greer 1991). Two other characters are most likely derived (15 and 16 in Table 1) but each is only diagnostic for two of the three Pygmaeascincus. The first is a reduced number of supraoculars. A reduction from the plesiomorphic condition of four supraoculars (Greer 1991) is derived in both Pygmaeascincus and Menetia, but in Menetia there are always two supraoculars whereas two of the three Pygmaeascincus have 3 (Table 1). The second is the presence of enlarged upper palprebrals in P. timlowi and P sadlieri, a condition that appears to be unique within skinks (Greer, 1991).	en	Couper, Patrick J., Hoskin, Conrad J. (2014): A new genus to accommodate three skinks currently assigned to Menetia (Lacertilia: Scincidae). Zootaxa 3884 (6): 597-599, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3884.6.8
