Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 27, 2026

Sphenomorphus capitolythos

Sphenomorphus capitolythos is a species of skink, a lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Indonesia.

Last revised
Jun 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
268 w
Citations
8
Source
Sphenomorphus capitolythos
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Sphenomorphus
Species:
S. capitolythos
Binomial name
Sphenomorphus capitolythos
Shea & Michels, 2009
Synonyms2
  • Lygosoma keiensis
    Kopstein, 1926
  • Sphenomorphus keiensis
    (Kopstein, 1926)

Sphenomorphus capitolythos is a species of skink, a lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Indonesia.2

Etymology

The specific name, capitolythos, is in honor of Austrian herpetologist Felix Kopstein through a trilingual play on words. Kopf + Stein in German, meaning "head + stone" in English, becomes capito + lythos in Greek.3

Description

Medium-sized for its genus, S. capitolythos may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 8 cm (3.1 in). It has four short legs.2

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of S. capitolythos is forest.1

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of S. capitolythos is unknown.12

References

References

  1. Shea G, Stubbs A, Iskandar D (2021). "Sphenomorphus capitolythos ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T104770916A104853705.en. Accessed 13 October 2024.
  2. Sphenomorphus capitolythos at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 March 2020.
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sphenomorphus capitolythos, p. 145).
Further reading

Further reading

  • Kopstein JF (1926). "Reptilien von den Molukken und den benachbarten Inseln ". Zoologische Mededelingen 1: 71–112. (Lygosoma keiensis, new species, p. 86). (in German).
  • Shea GM, Michels JP (2009). "A replacement name for Sphenomorphus keiensis (Kopstein, 1926) from the southeastern Moluccas, Indonesia (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) with a redescription of the species". Zoologische Mededelingen 82: 737–747. (Sphenomorphus capitolythos, new name).