Pygmaeascincus gen. nov.

Type species. Pygmaeascincus timlowi (Ingram 1977)

Species. P. timlowi (Ingram 1977), P. koshlandae (Greer 1991), P. sadlieri (Greer 1991).

Etymology. From the Latin pygmaea for pygmy. Referring to the very small size of the three species. These skinks, at SVL <30 mm, are amongst the smallest skinks in the world (Greer 2001).

Diagnosis. Pygmaeascincus is a genus of small litter skinks that is distinguished from all other Australian skinks by the following character states: small size (SVL <30 mm); limbs short and widely separated when adpressed; digital formula 4/5 (four fingers, five toes) with ≤ 10 supradigital scales on fourth toe; frontoparietals and interparietal fused into a single shield; eyelid preablepharine; supraoculars transverse, ≤ 3, squarish, with only the 1 st contacting the frontal.

The ‘ timlowi’ species group is separated from Menetia, to which it was most recently assigned by at least 14 characters (1–14 in Table 1). The polarity of most of these characters remains uncertain. One of these is clearly a derived character (Greer 1991): frontoparietals fused with interparietal to form a single shield (vs interparietal distinct from fused frontoparietals) and is a very rare condition seen in only a few other Australian skinks (Greer 1991). Two other characters are most likely derived (15 and 16 in Table 1) but each is only diagnostic for two of the three Pygmaeascincus. The first is a reduced number of supraoculars. A reduction from the plesiomorphic condition of four supraoculars (Greer 1991) is derived in both Pygmaeascincus and Menetia, but in Menetia there are always two supraoculars whereas two of the three Pygmaeascincus have 3 (Table 1). The second is the presence of enlarged upper palprebrals in P. timlowi and P sadlieri, a condition that appears to be unique within skinks (Greer, 1991).