The Feylinia are a small genus of legless burrowing skinks from Africa. They were formerly considered a full family in their own right, and are possibly even now by some authorities. All live underground. Limbs are either entirely absent or greatly reduced, with no more than three small digits on each limb. The ear opening is hidden, its position indicated by a depression, and the scales of the snout (the rostral, mental, nasals and 1st labials) are usually covered by a thick milky dermis. All are oviparous.
The following scalation details are also typical of the entire genus: parietal shields in contact behind interparietal. Lower eyelid moveable and scaly. Nasals undivided, no supranasals. Ectopterygoid process present.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution | Size | Notes |
| Feylinia | ||||
| A. brevicollis | Short-necked Worm Skink | C/E Queensland, Australia | 3-4" | A burrowing skink found in various habitats within its range, including dry sclerophyll and rainforest. Dorsally pale-brown, darker on head and tail. Chin and throat are spotted with dark brown. Ventrally white or flesh coloured. Snout usually rounded. Scalation details: nasals in contact. No prefrontals. 4 supraoculars. 1 loreal, deeper than long. Postmental usually touches 1-2 (usually 2) infralabials on each side. 6 supralabials. Preanals somewhat enlarged. Dorsal smooth scales in 18-20 rows at midbody. <105 transverse ventral rows. |
| A. gowi | Speckled Worm Skink | C/E & NE Queensland, Australia | 2-2½" | A. gowi lives in a very restricted range, where it is found in woodland or vine scrub beneath rocks or fallen timber. Dorsally it is brown, with the head sometimes darker. Each scale on the dorsum is darker centrally, resulting in paler margins which give a somewhat chequered effect. Ventrally it is pale brown or cream. Snout is slightly bulbous. Limbs are absent. Scalation details: nasals extensively in contact. Prefrontals small and widely separated. 2 supraoculars: however, smaller anterior supraciliary and small supraocular could both by interpreted as a preocular. 1 loreal. Postmental touches 1-2 infralabials on each side. 5 supralabials. Dorsal smooth scales in 18-22 rows at midbody. >105 transverse ventral rows. |
| A. lentiginosus | Worm-Skink | NSW and Queensland, Australia | Mentioned on www.kingsnake.com but not in EMBL database or Cogger. No other information available. | |
| A. leuckartii | Two-Clawed Worm Skink | SE Queensland and N NSW, Australia | Small-limbed species with two "styles" on each forelimb and a single style on each rear limb. It is a burrower, found under rocks and fallen timber in dry sclerophyll, eucalypt and Callitris woodland. The snout is moderately rounded. Dorsally brown, grey-brown or purple-brown but with individual scales always having a pale edge to them. Ventrally white or flesh-coloured. Sometimes there is a faint paler bar across the nape. Scalation details: nasals separated. Prefrontals small and widely separated. 3-4 supraoculars. 2 loreals. Postmental touches 2 infralabials on each side. 5 supralabials. Dorsal smooth scales in 20-22 rows at midbody. Preanals somewhat enlarged. | |
| A. mackayi | Five-Clawed Worm Skink | NE tip of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia | V. similar to A. leuckarti, except that hindlimb has two, not one, styles. Dark brown dorsally: each scale has a dark spot in the centre, this aspect being more conspicuous in the northern populations. Ventrally yellow-green, heavily flecked with darker markers towards the posterior. | |
| A. pluto | Cape York Worm Skink | NE tip of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia | A burrowing skink found beneath leaf- or other litter in monsoon forest, heath and woodland. Its range is extremely limited. Dorsally brown but with a darker tail. Scalation details: nasals widely separated. Prefrontals small and widely separated. 2 supraoculars. 1 loreal. Postmental touches 1 infralabial on each side. Nasal fused with 1st supralabial, this being a useful distinguishing characteristic among the limbless species. Dorsal smooth scales in 20 rows at midbody. | |
| A. swansoni | Punctate Worm Skink | Central coast and hinterland of NSW, Australia | Burrowing skink found under stones and fallen timber in a variety of habitats, including coastal dunes, heathlands, dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone hills and ridges. Dorsally brown or pinkish-brown, each scale having a darker brown centre. Ventrally white or flesh-coloured. The end of the tail is darker, often blackish near the tip. Snout is rounded, limbs absent. Scalation details: nasals separated or in narrow contact. Prefrontals small and widely separated. 2 loreals. Postmental touches 2 infralabials on each side. Preanals somewhat enlarged. Dorsal smooth scales in 22-26 rows at midbody. | |
| A. verreauxi | Three-Clawed Worm Skink | Coast and ranges of NE NSW and SE Queensland, Australia | This species is similar to A. leuckarti but larger, and with three digits on each forelimb. It also occupies more humid habitat, including wet sclerophyll forest, rainforest margins, vine thickets and coastal scrubs. | |
Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Harold Cogger, 6th edition.
Kingsnake.com have a useful listing of Australian Skinks, including some common names which are not found in some books.
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