Mochlus is a genus of lizards in the subfamily Lygosominae of the family Scincidae (skinks). The genus is endemic to Africa.
Description
Skinks of the genus Mochlus are cylindrical in shape and robust. They get the common name "writhing skinks" from the side-to-side movement that they make when held in the hand.
Species
The following 19 species are recognized as being valid.
- Mochlus brevicaudis
- Mochlus fernandi – fire skink
- Mochlus grandisonianus – Lanza's writhing skink
- Mochlus guineensis – Guinean forest skink
- Mochlus hinkeli – Hinkel's red-sided skink, Hinkel's red-flanked skink
- Mochlus laeviceps <small>(W. Peters, 1874)</small> – common writhing skink
- Mochlus lanceolatus <small>Broadley, 1990</small> – Broadley's writhing skink
- Mochlus mabuiiformis – Mabuya-like writhing skink
- Mochlus mafianus – mafia writhing skink
- Mochlus mocquardi – Mocquard's writhing skink
- Mochlus paedocarinatus – Lanza's writhing skink, Abyssinian writhing skink
- Mochlus pembanus <small>Boettger, 1913</small> – Pemba Island writhing skink
- Mochlus productus – Boulenger's writhing skink
- Mochlus simonettai – Simonetta's writhing skink
- Mochlus somalicus – Somali writhing skink
- Mochlus striatus
- Mochlus sundevallii – Sundevall's writhing skink
- Mochlus tanae – Loveridge's writhing skink, Tana River writhing skink
- Mochlus vinciguerrae – Vinciguerra's writhing skink
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Mochlus.
References
Further reading
Günther A (1864). "Report on a Collection of Reptiles and Fishes made by Dr. Kirk in the Zambesi and Nyassa Regions". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1864: 303–314. (Mochlus, new genus, p. 308).