Paracontias

Paracontias
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia (paraphyletic)
(unranked):	Sauria
Order:	Squamata (paraphyletic)
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Scincidae
Subfamily:	see text
Genus:	Paracontias Mocquard, 1894
Species
12, see text.

Paracontias is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae). The genus is endemic to Madagascar.

Taxonomy and systematics

Paracontias is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae, which seems to be paraphyletic however. Probably quite close to Amphiglossus and possibly Androngo trivittatus, it belongs to a major clade which does not seem to include the type genus Scincus. Thus, it will probably be eventually assigned to a new, yet-to-be-named subfamily. (Austin & Arnold 2006)

Species

The following 12 species are recognized.

• Paracontias brocchii Mocquard, 1894
• Paracontias fasika J. Köhler et al., 2010
• Paracontias hafa Andreone & Greer, 2002
• Paracontias hildebrandti (W. Peters, 1880)
• Paracontias holomelas (Günther, 1877)
• Paracontias kankana J. Köhler et al., 2009
• Paracontias manify Andreone & Greer, 2002
• Paracontias milloti Angel, 1949
• Paracontias minimus (Mocquard,1906)
• Paracontias rothschildi Mocquard, 1905
• Paracontias tsararano Andreone & Greer, 2002
• Paracontias vermisaurus Miralles et al., 2011

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Paracontias.

Further reading

• 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)

• Mocquard F. 1894. "Reptiles nouveaux ou insuffisamment connus de Madagascar ". Compte Rendu Sommaire des Séances de la Société Philomatique de Paris 17: 1-8. (Paracontias, new genus, p. 3). (in French).