NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
European Glass Lizard
Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
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 sheltopusik, also spelled scheltopusik, sheltopusick, scheltopusick, sheltopusic, or scheltopusic (Pseudopus apodus), and also commonly known as Pallas's glass lizard, the European legless lizard, or the European glass lizard, is a species of large glass lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is found from Southern Europe to Central Asia. There are three recognized subspecies.
Wikipedia contributors, Sheltopusik; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:32:35.468897+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
- Name authority
- (Pallas, 1775)
- Common name
- European Glass Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Anguidae
- Genus
- Pseudopus
- 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
- familyAnguidae
- subfamilyAnguinae
- genusPseudopus
- speciesPseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lacerta apoda Pallas, 1775 Pallas, 1775 | synonym |
| Ophisaurus apodus thracius Obst, 1978 Obst, 1978 | synonym |
| Pseudopus fischeri Ménestriés, 1832 Ménestriés, 1832 | synonym |
| Sheltopusik didactylus Latreille, 1802 Latreille, 1802 | synonym |
| Pseudopus durvillii Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Pseudopus serpentinus Merrem, 1820 Merrem, 1820 | 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=Pseudopus&species=apodus 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:4P98Q. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.