| Niveoscincus | |
|---|---|
| Metallic Skink, near Cradle Mountain, Tasmania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia (paraphyletic) |
| (unranked): | Sauria |
| Order: | Squamata (paraphyletic) |
| Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Lygosominae |
| Genus: | Niveoscincus (Hutchinson, Donnellan, Baverstock, Krieg, Simms & Burgin, 1988) |
| Species | |
|
8, see text |
|
Niveoscincus is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae), commonly called Snow Skinks[1] or Cool-skinks[2] and residing mainly in Tasmania or Victoria, Australia.[3] It belongs to a clade with the genera Carlia, Lampropholis and possibly others of the Eugongylus group.[4] For similar skinks see genera Pseudemoia, Lampropholis, and Bassiana. These skinks have adapted to the cooler weather of southern Australia and particularly Tasmania, hence the common names.