在动物中,特定谱系的成功可以用它们的物种数量来衡量,它们的地理范围,它们栖息地和生态位的宽度,以及它们形态和生活史特征的多样性。这里,我们审查分布,生态学,石龙子的形态和生活史,陆生脊椎动物的不同谱系。我们比较了石龙子的三个亚科的关键特征,在石龙子和不锋利的蜥蜴之间。目前有1743种描述的石龙子,占全球蜥蜴多样性的24%。自2010年以来,对蜥蜴的描述中有16%是龙骨。石龙子多样性的中心在澳大利亚,几内亚,东南亚,大洋洲,马达加斯加和中部非洲。与非尖头蜥蜴相比,石龙子的分布范围更大,但身体尺寸较小。性别大小二态在龙骨中很少见。近四分之一(23%)的龙骨表现出肢体减少或丧失,相比之下,只有3%的非尖头蜥蜴。与非鳞片(13%)相比,鳞片更可能是胎生的(占物种的34%),并且离合器/垫料尺寸比非scincids更大。尽管石龙子比非石斑鱼成熟得晚,它们的寿命与其他蜥蜴组的寿命相似。大多数石龙子(88%)是活跃的觅食者,它们比无节食更有可能是食肉动物。与其他蜥蜴类群相比,Skinks更有可能是昼夜或cathemeral,但是与非切齿相比,它们通常具有较低的现场体温。石龙子的成功似乎既是他们成功的身体计划和生态的结果,以及他们定期偏离这一身体计划并适应其生态和生活史的能力(例如,反复的肢体减少和丧失,过渡到活生生)到普遍条件。
In animals, the success of particular lineages can be measured in terms of their number of species, the extent of their geographic range, the breadth of their habitats and ecological niches, and the diversity of their morphological and life-history traits. Here, we review the distribution, ecology, morphology and life history of skinks, a diverse lineage of terrestrial vertebrates. We compared key traits between the three subfamilies of skinks, and between skinks and non-scincid lizards. There are currently 1743 described species of skink, which represent 24% of global lizard diversity. Since 2010, 16% of lizard descriptions have been of skinks. The centres of skink diversity are in Australia, New Guinea, southeast Asia, Oceania, Madagascar and central Africa. Compared with non-scincid lizards, skinks have larger distributional ranges, but smaller body sizes. Sexual size dimorphism is rare in skinks. Almost a quarter (23%) of skinks exhibit limb reduction or loss, compared with just 3% of non-scincid lizards. Skinks are more likely to be viviparous (34% of species) compared with non-scincids (13%), and have higher clutch/litter sizes than non-scincids. Although skinks mature later than non-scincids, their longevity is similar to that exhibited by other lizard groups. Most skinks (88%) are active foragers, and they are more likely to be carnivorous than non-scincids. Skinks are more likely to be diurnal or cathemeral than other lizard groups, but they generally have lower field body temperatures compared with non-scincids. The success of skinks appears to be both a result of them hitting upon a winning body plan and ecology, and their capacity to regularly deviate from this body plan and adapt their ecology and life history (e.g. repeated limb reduction and loss, transitions to viviparity) to prevailing conditions.