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Ophthalmology of Scinciformata and Laterata: Skinks, Lizards, and Relatives

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Wild and Exotic Animal Ophthalmology

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Abstract

One of the most diverse groups of terrestrial vertebrates is the reptile order Squamata, containing the lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (Pyron et al. 2013). Members can be found on every continent except Antarctica and some even in the ocean. Consequently, squamates also come in many shapes and sizes, possibly the most unique of which are the amphisbaenians. Phylogenetic grou** of squamates has been a recent topic of debate, largely due to the controversy between morphologic-based and molecular-based systems. New grou**s meant new names as well. Scinciformata is the first branch of a group of reptiles united by the presence of one egg tooth (Vidal and Hedges 2005). It includes the skink-like lizards and families such as Scincidae and Xantusiidae. The next closely related group is the Laterata, named for the presence of tile-like scales on its members’ bodies. Of the Laterata, Amphisbaenians are among the most misunderstood.

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  1. Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center, Waukesha, WI, USA

    Kathryn Smith Fleming

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  1. Kathryn Smith Fleming
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Correspondence to Kathryn Smith Fleming .

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  1. Veterinary Medicine Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

    Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Bret A. Moore

  3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Gil Ben-Shlomo

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Fleming, K.S. (2022). Ophthalmology of Scinciformata and Laterata: Skinks, Lizards, and Relatives. In: Montiani-Ferreira, F., Moore, B.A., Ben-Shlomo, G. (eds) Wild and Exotic Animal Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71302-7_11

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