Ablepharus


Ablepharus

 

a genus of reptiles of the Scincidae family of the suborder Lacertilia. The torso is elongated and cylindrical. The extremities are weak and are rudimentary in some species. The eyelids are joined together and form a transparent immobile covering. The animal is up to 13 cm long. There are about 30 species, which are found in Africa (including the Malagasy Republic), Europe (on the Balkan Peninsula), Asia (Near East, Middle Asia, and Transcaucasia), Australia, and New Guinea and on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. These lizards are diurnal. In the USSR there are six species in Transcaucasia and Middle Asia; the most common are A. deserti and A. alaicus. They feed on insects and other small invertebrates. The majority are oviparous; A. Alaicus is ovoviviparous.