Leiolopisma alazon ZUG, 1985

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Higher Taxa	Scincidae, Eugongylinae (Eugongylini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Lauan Ground Skink
Synonym	Leiolopisma alazon ZUG 1985 Leiolopisma alazon — ADLER, AUSTIN & DUDLEY 1995
Distribution	Fiji Islands (Yanuya Island) Type locality: Fiji, Ono-i-Lau, Yanuya Island, 20° 37’ S, 178° 41’ W.
Reproduction
Types	Holotype: USNM 229989
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: This skink is a small Leiolopisma with an adult snout-vent length (SVL) of 45-65 mm, a robust elongate body, short but well developed limbs, a pair of frontoparietal scales, prefrontals not in contact, smooth dorsal scales, 34- 37 scale rows around midbody, and an orange to red tail in adults. These features, singly or in combination, distinguish this species from all currently recognized Leiolopisma species. The Australian species L. duperreyi, L. greeni, L. metallicum, L. ocellatum, L. palfreymani, L. platynotum, L. pretiosum, and L. trilineatum possess a single (fused) frontoparietal scale; L. baudini, L. coventryi, L. entrecasteauxii, and L. zia, have fewer than 34 scale rows around midbody; L. spenceri has supernasals; adult L. lichenigerum has SVL greater than 75 mm. No New Zealand Leiolopisma possesses a uniform reddish or orangish tail dorsally. The majority, L. acrinasum, L. chloronoton, L. fallai, L. gracilicorpus, L. grande, L. homalonotum, L. infrapunctatum, L. lineoocellatum, L. nigriplantare, L. otagense, and L. suteri also have adult SVL greater than 75 mm. Leiolopisma fasciolare, known only from the original description, has 27 scale rows around midbody. The majority of the New Caledonian species, L. austrocaledonicum, L. depianchei, L. euryotis, L. novacaledonicum, L. steindachneri, L. tricolor, and L. variabile, have a single frontoparietal. Leiolopisma greeri and L. nigrofasciolatum have large prefrontals broadly in contact medially (Zug 1985).
Comment	Comparisons: Zug 1985 has a table of meristic characters across what he considered (Oceanic) Leiolopisma then (now mostly in other genera).
Etymology	The name "alazon" is Greek (neuter) for wanderer or rover. It is used in allusion to this species wandering from the common geographic track (New Caledonia through New Zealand to Australia) of Pacific Leiolopisma as well as to its dispersal to the remote Ono-i-Lau group.
References	Adler,G.H.; Austin,C.C. & Dudley,R. 1995. Dispersal and speciation of skinks among archipelagos in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Evolutionary Ecology 9: 529-541 - get paper here Morrison, C. 2003. A Field Guide to the Herpetofauna of Fiji. Suva, Fiji: Institute of Applied Sciences, University of the South Pacific, 121 pp. ZUG, G.R. 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press, Berkeley, 306 pp. - get paper here Zug,G. R. 1985. A new skink (Reptilia: Sauria: Leiolopisma) from Fiji. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 98 (1): 221-231 - get paper here Zug,G. R. 1991. The lizards of Fiji: Natural history and systematics. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. 2: 1-136
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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