Added 11 December 2002. Last updated 27 December 2002: updated entries for Bachia, Echinosaura, Gymnophthalmus, Neusticurus and Ophiognomon.

A Brief Look

at the

Gymnophthalmidae

Spectacled Lizards and Microteiids

Introduction

The Gymnophthalmidae were originally a subfamily of the Teiidae but were raised to full family status a few years ago. As such they are relatively unknown to most people, even to most herpetologists, and few if any of these species are seen in the pet trade or indeed even in print. The family is based mostly in South America, with some species distributed in Central America and the Caribbean.

Most if not all of these lizards are extremely small, being comparable in size with the smaller skinks and geckos.

QUICK INDEX

Alopoglossus Amapasaurus Anadia
Anotosaura Argalia Arthrosaura
Arthroseps Aspidolaemus Bachia, Earless Teiids
Calyptommatus Cercosaura Colobodactylus
Colobosaura Colobosauroides Echinosaura, Rough Teiid
Ecpleopus Euspondylus, Sun Tegus Gymnophthalmus, Spectacled Teiids
Heterodactylus Iphisa Leposoma
Macropholidus Micrablepharus Neusticurus, Water Teiids
Notobachus Ophiognomon, Snake Teiids Opipeuter
Pantodactylus Pholidobolus Placosoma
Prionodactylus Procellosaurinus Proctoporus
Psilophthalmus Ptychoglossus Riolama
Stenolepis Teucocercus Tretioscincus 
Vanzosaura    

Family GYMNOPHTHALMIDAE

Genus Common Name No. of species Location Notes
Alopoglossus   7 Mainly Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, also Panama, Costa Rica  
Amapasaurus   1 Brazil

 V. similar to Leposoma
Anadia Anadias  15 Mainly Colombia, Venezuela, also Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador Arboreal species despite weak limbs. Heads pointed, tails cylindrical and twice snout-vent length. Lower eyelid has transparent window. Teeth three-pointed. Predominantly found among epiphytic plants (bromeliads and ferns). 
Anotosaura   2 Brazil  
Argalia   ? No info available  
Arthrosaura   7 Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia  
Arthroseps Arthroseps 2 Brazil  
Aspidolaemus   ? No info available  
Bachia Earless Teiids  18 Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Tobago, Trinidad, Grenada Bank, Panama, Costa Rica Elongated bodies and vestigial or absent limbs - if present, then three toes.
Calyptommatus   3 Brazil Extreme reduction of hind limbs, absence of fore limbs, and absence of prefrontals, frontals, supraoculars and frontoparietals: thought to be related to Nothobachia
Cercosaura Ocellated Tegu  1 Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina 3 subspecies. 
Colobodactylus Vanzolini- or Taunay Teiid  2 Brazil  
Colobosaura   3 Brazil, Paraguay, poss. Argentina  
Colobosauroides   2 Brazil  
Echinosaura Rough Teiid  1 Ecuador, Colombia, Panama  
Ecpleopus   1 Brazil  
Euspondylus Sun Tegus 8 Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru  
Gymnophthalmus Spectacled Teiids  7 Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Surinam, Dutch Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles, Mexico, W Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Barbados, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana, Surinam, Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, Antigua Elongated, skink-like forms: some parthenogenetic species. Transparent window in lower eyelid of eye.
Heterodactylus   2 Brazil  
Iphisa   1 Brazil, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia  
Leposoma   12    
Macropholidus   2 Peru  
Micrablepharus   2 Brazil Skink-like forms with electric blue tails
Neusticurus Water Teiids  11 Costa Rica, Guiana, Suriname, French Guiana, E Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru Some species are associated with water. 
Notobachus   1 Brazil Snake-like form with limbs
Ophiognomon Snake Teiids 3 "Upper Amazon basin" [Grzimek] Found chiefly among rotting leaves. 
Opipeuter   1 Bolivia and Argentina  
Pantodactylus   2 Brazil, Argentinia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru  
Pholidobolus   7 Ecuador, Peru, also Colombia  
Placosoma   3 Brazil  
Prionodactylus   9 Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, French Guiana, Peru, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, also Panama, poss. Suriname  
Procellosaurinus   2 Brazil Skink-like forms
Proctoporus   28    
Psilophthalmus   1   Skink-like form
Ptychoglossus   15 Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, also Panama, Costa Rica Small form, similar in superficial appearance to Podarcis species
Riolama   1 Venezuela  
Stenolepis   1 Brazil  
Teucocercus   1 Ecuador  
Tretioscincus   3 Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Venezuela
Colombia, Caribbean: Margarita I, Dutch Leeward Islands 		Skink-like form
Vanzosaura   1 Bolivia, N Argentina  

Bibliography - Gymnophthalmidae

There seems to be no one single work (at least outside academic circles) dealing with the family Teiidae and/or the Gymnopthalmidae in their entirety. In fact, of the entire family dealt with above, I have only found one book that deals with any of the species included. Field guides for the different countries in the region may have some information on their native species, but those on the Internet (normally a good source for species information in one form or another) seem to lack much solid data or even a picture.

Index of gymnophthalmid-related articles from herpetological magazines.

Bibliography: specific genera

Echsen [Lizards] Vol 2, Rogner, Ullmer Verlag, 1992. Usually a very good source of information, although it has been pointed out to me by one source in at least one section there was a "theoretical" guess as to the captive requirements of a particular species that is in reality very hard to keep alive. However, of all the books I have found so far, this is the only one that offers any details any of the Gymnopthalmidae, that of the species Pholidobolus. This book (and Vol 1) are available in English translation, but are substantially more expensive than most reptile husbandry books available from English-language publishing houses.

Links

So far we have not been able to find any links to sites dedicated to or dealing with the Gymnopthalmidae as such. If anyone knows of any we would be glad to hear from them.

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