Added 11 December 2002. Last updated 8 April 2026: extensively updated page with current classification and added Colobosaura.
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. The Reptile Database currently lists 297 species in the family.
Most if not all of these lizards are extremely small, being comparable in size with the smaller skinks and geckos. As one article noted in 2017, “Gymnophthalmids are among the least known Neotropical lizards given their secretive habits and small size, and some of them are known only from the original description”.
The genus Alopoglossus is now placed in its own family, the Alopoglossidae.
QUICK INDEX
Bachia, Earless Teiids |
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Cercosaura, Ocellated Tegu |
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Echinosaura, Rough Teiids, Spined Tegus |
Euspondylus, Sun Tegus |
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Gymnophthalmus, Spectacled Teiids |
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Neusticurus, Water Teiids |
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Rondonops |
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Family GYMNOPHTHALMIDAE
Genus |
Common Name |
No. of species |
Location |
Notes |
|
2 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
1 |
Venezuela |
|
|
|
1 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
33 |
Mainly Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, also Panama, Costa Rica |
Now assigned to its own family, the Alopoglossidae. |
|
|
1 |
Brazil, Guyana |
V. similar to Leposoma |
|
Anadias |
20 |
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). |
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
? |
No info available |
|
|
|
7 |
Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia |
|
|
Earless Teiids |
31 |
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. |
|
|
5 |
Brazil |
Extreme reduction of hind limbs, absence of fore limbs, and absence of prefrontals, frontals, supraoculars and frontoparietals: thought to be related to Nothobachia |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
Ocellated Tegu |
1 |
Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina |
3 subspecies. |
|
Vanzolini- or Taunay Teiid |
2 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
2 |
Brazil, Paraguay |
|
|
|
2 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
Rough Teiid, Spined Tegus |
8 |
Ecuador, Colombia, Panama |
|
|
|
1 |
Brazil |
|
|
Sun Tegus |
8 |
Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru |
|
|
|
|
|
Former Potamites species. |
|
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. |
|
|
2 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
1 |
Brazil, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
Peru |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
Brazil |
Skink-like forms with electric blue tails |
|
Water Teiids |
11 |
Costa Rica, Guiana, Suriname, French Guiana, E Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru |
Some species are associated with water. |
|
|
1 |
Brazil |
Snake-like form with limbs |
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
Guyana |
|
|
|
5 |
Peru |
|
|
|
13 |
Ecuador, Peru, Colombia |
|
|
|
4 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
Brazil |
Skink-like forms |
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
|
3 |
Brazil |
Skink-like form |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
Venezuela |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
Brazil |
|
|
|
3 |
Guyana, Suriname, French
Guiana, Brazil, Venezuela |
Skink-like form |
|
|
3 |
Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina |
|
|
|
1 |
Peru |
Formerly assigned to Euspondylus. |
|
|
2 |
Venezuela, Guyana |
|
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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