NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black Limbless Skink
Melanoseps ater (Günther, 1873)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black limbless skink (Melanoseps ater) is an extant species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is found in Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Wikipedia contributors, Melanoseps ater; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:55:34.948825+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanoseps ater (Günther, 1873)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1873)
- Common name
- Black Limbless Skink
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Melanoseps
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyScincidae
- subfamilyScincinae
- genusMelanoseps
- speciesMelanoseps ater (Günther, 1873)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanoseps. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Uluguru limbless skinkMelanoseps emmrichi Broadley, 2006 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Longtail Limbless SkinkMelanoseps longicauda Tornier, 1900 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Limbless SkinkMelanoseps occidentalis (Peters, 1878) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pygmy limbless skinkMelanoseps pygmaeus Broadley, 2006 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Melanoseps sokokensis Malonza, Nyamache & Bwong, 2024 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Loveridge’s limbless skinkMelanoseps loveridgei Brygoo & Roux-Estève, 1982 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rondo limbless skinkMelanoseps rondoensis Loveridge, 1942 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Udzungwa Limbless SkinkMelanoseps uzungwensis Loveridge, 1942 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Melanoseps ater matengoensis Loveridge, 1942 Loveridge, 1942 | synonym |
| Melanoseps ater misukuensis Loveridge, 1953 Loveridge, 1953 | synonym |
| Herpetosaura atra Günther, 1873 Günther, 1873 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Melanoseps&species=ater Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3ZB7W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.