NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Indian Sand Swimmer
Ophiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853)
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
Ophiomorus tridactylus, commonly known as the three-toed snake skink, is a species of skink endemic to sandy desert areas of South Asia. It is also called the Indian sand-swimmer for its habit of moving just under the sand.
Wikipedia contributors, Ophiomorus tridactylus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:21:58.949994+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ophiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853)
- Name authority
- (Blyth, 1853)
- Common name
- Indian Sand Swimmer
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Ophiomorus
- 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
- genusOphiomorus
- speciesOphiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ophiomorus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Latast's Snake SkinkOphiomorus latastii Boulenger, 1887 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maranjab’s snake skinkOphiomorus maranjabensis Kazemi, Farhadi Qomi, Kami & Anderson, 2011 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chernov's Snake SkinkOphiomorus chernovi Anderson & Leviton, 1966 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Anatolian Limbless SkinkOphiomorus kardesi Kornilios, Kumlutas, Lymberakis & Ilgaz, 2018 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blanford's Snake SkinkOphiomorus blanfordii Boulenger, 1887 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Short-legged Snake SkinkOphiomorus brevipes (Blanford, 1874) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nilson's Snake SkinkOphiomorus nuchalis Nilson & Andren, 1978 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Persian Snake SkinkOphiomorus persicus (Steindachner, 1867) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Greek Snake SkinkOphiomorus punctatissimus (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern sand swimmerOphiomorus raithmai Anderson & Leviton, 1966 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Street's Snake SkinkOphiomorus streeti Anderson & Leviton, 1966 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Sphenocephalus tridactylus Blyth, 1853 Blyth, 1853 | ambiguous 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=Ophiomorus&species=tridactylus 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:49XY6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.