You are here » home search results Lampropholis delicata

Lampropholis delicata (DE VIS, 1888)

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Lampropholis delicata?

Add your own observation of
Lampropholis delicata »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaScincidae, Eugongylinae (Eugongylini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Dark-flecked garden sunskink, Plague skink, Rainbow Skink, Grass Skink 
SynonymMocoa delicata DE VIS 1888
Lygosoma cupreus BOULENGER 1890 (fide WELLS 2010)
Lygosoma (Leiolopisma) delicatum WERNER — SMITH 1937: 225
Leiolopisma hawaiiensis LOVERIDGE 1939: 1
Lygosoma (Leiolopisma) hawaiiensis — FISHER 1948
Lampropholis delicata — GREER 1974: 21
Leiolopisma delicata — HENLE 1981
Lampropholis delicata — COGGER 1983: 167
Lampropholis delicata — COGGER 2000: 507
Lampropholis delacata — AUSTIN et al. 2004 (in error)
Lampropholis delicata — COUPER et al. 2006: 381
Allengreerus delicata — HOSER 2009
Allengreerus ronhoseri — HOSER 2009
Lampropholis ronhoseri — WELLS 2010
Allengreerus delicata jackyhoserae HOSER 2012 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria),
New Zealand (introduced)
USA (introduced to Hawaii)
Introduced to Great Barrier Island (Australia)

Type locality: Warro Station, Port Curtis (as Warro, Central Queensland), Qld.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: QM J45765, designated by Mather (1990). Original holotype: QM (presumed lost).
Holotype: MCZ 44234 [hawaiiensis] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: within Lampropholis, the only species with an irregular dark vertebral stripe; dark lateral band bordered below by a well-defined, narrower band, lighter in colour than the dorsal surface. Other species of Lampropholis have no dark vertebral stripe and their dark lateral band is not bordered below by a well-defined, narrow light-coloured band (Cogger 2014: 578). 
CommentDistribution: This is the only invasive species that has been established in New Zealand (Chapple 2016).

HOSER (2009) established a new genus, Allengreerus HOSER 2009 for L. delicata. He diagnoses the genus as follows: “Separated from Lampropholis (type species guichenoti), to which it/they would otherwise be identified as, by the general lack of a distinct midvertebral stripe as seen in adult specimens.”

The validity of Allengreerus remains unclear, given that “there is clinal variation within Lampropholis delicata, which Hoser has failed to take into account. While he claims ronhoseri lacks the pale midlateral stripe of delicata, there is a gradual decrease in the frequency of the pale midlateral stripe with increasing latitude in New South Wales.” [Glenn Shea, pers. comm]. Without cladistic analysis it is impossible to decide whether Hoser’s form is different from Lampropholis and whether A. ronhoseri is different from L. delicata. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin delicatus (dainty) in relation to the size and shape of this small skink. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Anderson, R. O., Tingley, R., Hoskin, C. J., White, C. R., & Chapple, D. G. 2023. Linking physiology and climate to infer species distributions in Australian skinks. Journal of Animal Ecology - get paper here
  • Baker J K 1980. The rainbow skink Lampropholis delicata, in Hawaii. Pacific Science 33 (2) 1979: 207-212
  • BELL, TRENT 2017. Raking: an effective detection and capture technique for semi-fossorial lizards in New Zealand. BioGecko (4): 59-69
  • Bowles, F.D. 2000. A short note on the herpetofauna of Brisbane and its suburbs. Herpetological Bulletin (73): 27-29 - get paper here
  • Bretzel, Joachim 2023. Tasmanien im Herbst. Elaphe 2023 (3): 40-45
  • Chapple, David G. 2016. Synthesising Our Current Knowledge of New Zealand Lizards. in: Chapple, D.G. (ed). New Zealand Lizards. Springer, pp. 1-12 - get paper here
  • Chapple, David G.; James T. Reardon, and Joanne E. Peace 2016. Origin, Spread and Biology of the Invasive Plague Skink (Lampropholis delicata) in New Zealand. in: Chapple, D.G. (ed). New Zealand Lizards. Springer, pp. 341-360 - get paper here
  • Chapple, DG; J Knegtmans, H Kikillus & D van Winkel 2016. Biosecurity of exotic reptiles and amphibians in New Zealand: building upon Tony Whitaker's legacy. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 46 (1): 66-84 - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Couper, P., Covacevich, J., Amey, A. & Baker, A. 2006. The genera of skinks (Family Scincidae) of Australia and its island territories: diversity, distribution and identification. in: Merrick, J.R., Archer, M., Hickey, G.M. & Lee, M.S.Y. (eds.). Evolution and Zoogeography of Australasian Vertebrates. Australian Scientific Publishing, Sydney, pp. 367-384
  • Daly, Garry and Glenn Hoye 2016. Survey of the reptiles of the montane forests near Dorrigo on the north coast of New South Wales. Australian Zoologist 38 (1): 26-42 - get paper here
  • De Vis, C. W. 1888. A contribution to the herpetology of Queensland. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales (2) 2: 811-826 [1887] - get paper here
  • Doody, J. Sean and Phillip Paull 2013. Hitting the Ground Running: Environmentally Cued Hatching in a Lizard. Copeia Mar 2013, Vol. 2013, No. 1: 160-165. - get paper here
  • Driessen, Michael M.;Brereton, Raymond 1998. A range extension for the delecate skink, Lampropholis delicata, in Tasmania. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 28 (1): 44-45
  • Eldridge, M. D. B., S. Ingleby, A. G. King, S. V. Mahony, H. E. Parnaby, C. A. Beatson, A. Divljan, G. J. Frankham, A. C. Hay, R. E. Major, S. E. Reader, R. A. Sadlier, and L. R. Tsang. 2020. Australian Museum surveys of the vertebrate fauna of Coolah Tops National Park, NSW. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum Online 30: 1–26 - get paper here
  • Evans MJ, MacGregor C, Lindenmayer D 2024. A misleading tail: A long-term study of reptile responses to multiple disturbances undermined by a change in surveying techniques. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0305518 - get paper here
  • Fisher, H. I. 1948. Locality records of Pacific Island reptiles and amphibians. Copeia 1948 (1): 69 - get paper here
  • Forsman, A.; Shine, R. 1995. The adaptive significance of colour pattern polymorphism in the Australian scincid lizard Lampropholis delicata. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 55 (4): 273-291 - get paper here
  • Green R H 1981. Distribution of the delicate skink. TASMANIAN NATURALIST (No. 68): 8.
  • Greer, A.E. 1974. The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. Australian Journal of Zoology 31: 1-67. - get paper here
  • Harris, J., Smith, C. R., van Winkel, D., Brunton, D. H., Goulet, C. T., & Chapple, D. G. 2020. Does the invasive plague skink (Lampropholis delicata) compete with native skink species in New Zealand? Austral Ecology - get paper here
  • Henle, K. 1981. Die Herpetofauna Neuseelands, Teil 2: Eingeschleppte Arten und Irrgäste. Herpetofauna 3 (13): 25-29 - get paper here
  • Hoser, R. 2009. A new genus and a new species of skink from Victoria. Australasian J. Herpetol. 3:1-6 - get paper here
  • Hoser, R.T. 2012. A new genus and new species and new subspecies of skink from Victoria. Australasian J. Herpetol. 12:63–64 - get paper here
  • Howard, R., I. Williamson & P. Mather 2003. Structural Aspects of Microhabitat Selection by the Skink Lampropholis delicata Journal of Herpetology 37 (3): 613-617. - get paper here
  • Hutchinson, M.N. 1979. The reptiles of Kinglake National Park. Victorian Naturalist 96: 124-134 - get paper here
  • Kaiser, H.; Crother, B.I.; Kelly, C.M.R.; Luiselli, L.; O’Shea, M.; Ota, H.; Passos, P.; Schleip, W.D. & Wüster, W. 2013. Best Practices: In the 21st Century, Taxonomic Decisions in Herpetology are Acceptable Only When Supported by a Body of Evidence and Published via Peer-Review. Herpetological Review 44 (1): 8-23
  • Kay, G.M.; D. Michael; M. Crane; S. Okada; C. MacGregor; D. Florance; D. Trengove; L. McBurney; D. Blair; D.B. Lindenmayer. 2013. A list of reptiles and amphibians from Box Gum Grassy Woodlands in south-eastern Australia. Check List 9 (3):476-481 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, Arthur 1939. A new skink (Leiolepisma hawaiiensis from Honolulu. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 52: 1-2 - get paper here
  • Matthews, G., & Chapple, D. G. 2023. Testing the function of a colour pattern polymorphism in a lizard. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, blad124 - get paper here
  • Mckeown, Sean 1996. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc., Los Osos, CA,
  • METCALFE, DEAN C. 2013. LAMPROPHOLIS DELICATA (Common Garden Skink): COPROPHAGY. Herpetological Bulletin (124) - get paper here
  • Metcalfe, Dean C. and Peter A. Ridgeway. 2013. A case of web entanglement and apparent predation of the skink Lampropholis delicata (De Vis, 1888) (Sauria: Scincidae: Lygosominae) by the red-back spider Latrodectus hasseltii Thorell, 1870 (Aranea: Araneomorpha: Theridiidae) in an autochthonous me Herpetology Notes 6: 375-377.
  • Metcalfe, Dean C. and Terence J. Annable. 2016. Lampropholis delicata (Delicate Skink) Mortality. Herpetological Review 47 (2): 299 - get paper here
  • Miller KA, Duran A, Melville J, Thompson MB, Chapple DG. 2017. Sex-specific shifts in morphology and colour pattern polymorphism during range expansion of an invasive lizard. J Biogeogr. 00:1–11; DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13075 - get paper here
  • Mo, Matthew 2015. Herpetofaunal community of the constructed Lime Kiln Bay Wetland, south Sydney, New South Wales. Victorian Naturalist 132 (3): 64-72 - get paper here
  • MO, MATTHEW & ELOUISE MO. 2021. Prey dismemberment in the feeding behavior of the Australian skinks Lampropholis delicata and L. guichenoti (Squamata: Scincidae). Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology 20(2): 181–184. - get paper here
  • Monks, J.M. and S. Penniket (eds 2018. Recent developments in New Zealand herpetofauna research. Department of Conservation - get paper here
  • Moule, H., Michelangeli, M., Thompson, M. B. and Chapple, D. G. 2015. The influence of urbanization on the behaviour of an Australian lizard and the presence of an activity–exploratory behavioural syndrome. Journal of Zoology. doi: 10.1111/jzo.12288 - get paper here
  • Murphy, Michael J. 1994. Reptiles and amphibians of Seven Mile Beach National park, NSW. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 24 (2): 24-30
  • Murphy, Michael J. 2010. ADDITIONS TO THE HERPETOFAUNA OF GORE CREEK RESERVE AND LANE COVE BUSHLAND PARK IN INNER SUBURBAN SYDNEY, NSW. Herpetofauna 40 (2): 103-110 - get paper here
  • Naimo, A. C., Jones, C., Chapple, D. G., & Wong, B. 2021. Has an invasive lizard lost its antipredator behaviours following 40 generations of isolation from snake predators?. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 75(9), 1-11 - get paper here
  • Osborne, Will & Anke Maria Hoefer 2018. Frogs and reptiles found at Black Mountain: fifty years of records, from museum collections to community-based photo mapping. Black Mountain Symposium Background Paper No. 9 - get paper here
  • Smith, M.A. 1937. A review of the genus Lygosoma (Scincidae: Reptilia) and its allies. Records of the Indian Museum 39 (3): 213-234
  • Stewart, James R. and Tom W. Ecay 2010. Patterns of maternal provision and embryonic mobilization of calcium in oviparous and viviparous squamate reptiles. Herp. Cons. Biol. 5 (2) - get paper here
  • Swan, G.; Sadlier, R.; Shea, G. 2017. A field guide to reptiles of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, 328 pp.
  • Taylor, R. J.;Dudley, A.;Gale, P. G. 1993. Reptiles and amphibians in sclerophyll forest surrounding Old Chum Dam in north-eastern Tasmania. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 23 (1): 26-31
  • Wairepo, Jacqueline 2016. Developing biosecurity strategies for an invasive reptile, the plague skink (Lampropholis delicata) on Great Barrier Island : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology at Masters thesis, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand - get paper here
  • Walsh, S. , Goulet, C. T., Wong, B. B. and Chapple, D. G. 2018. Inherent behavioural traits enable a widespread lizard to cope with urban life. J Zool, 306: 189-196 - get paper here
  • Wells, R.W. 2011. Some Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Considerations on the Class Reptilia in Australia. Comments on the Genus Lampropholis and Related Genera in the Family Scincidae. Australian Biodiversity Record (1): 1-22 [2010]
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
  • Winkel, D. van, Baling, M. & Hitchmough, R. 2018. Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand: A field guide. Auckland University Press, Auckland, 376 pp.
  • ZUG, G.R. 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press, Berkeley, 306 pp. - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lampropholis&species=delicata

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator