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Lygisaurus foliorum DE VIS, 1884

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Higher TaxaScincidae, Eugongylinae (Eugongylini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Tree-base Litter-skink, Rainbow-skink 
SynonymLygisaurus foliorum DE VIS 1884
Heteropus blackmanni DE VIS 1885
Ablepharus burnetti OUDEMANS 1894: 145
Lygosoma blackmanni — OUDEMANS 1894: 143
Lygosoma (Leiolopisma) blackmanni — SMITH 1937: 225
Carlia foliorum — COGGER 1983
Lygisaurus burnetti — GREER 2005 (online)
Lygisaurus foliorum — COGGER 2000: 539
Carlia burnetti — STUART -FOX et al. 2002
Lygisaurus foliorum — DOLMAN & HUGALL 2008 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, Queensland)

Type locality: Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane, Qld.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: QM J23660, collected C. Morris & A. Merrit, 22.vii.1973. Designated by Ingram & Covacevich (1988). Holotype: QM presumed lost, see Covacevich (1971). 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1792 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentType Species: Lygisaurus foliorum de Vis, 1884 is the type species of the genus Lygisaurus de Vis, 1884.

Phylogeny: Bragg et al. 2018 presented a phylogeny of the genera Lygisaurus, Liburnascincus, and Carlia. For a phylogenetic analysis of Papuan Lygisaurus, see Probst et al. 2025.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin folium (leaf) plus the genetive suffix -orum (belonging to), meaning "of the leaves", in reference to the leaf-litter dwelling habits of this species. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024)

The genus Lygisaurus was presumably named after the Greek lygos (willow tree, with the allusion being to slender and supple) plus sauros (a lizard). Derivation not stated by de Vis (1884). 
References
  • Bragg, J. G., Potter, S., Afonso Silva, A. C., Hoskin, C. J., Bai, B. Y. H., & Moritz, C. 2018. Phylogenomics of a rapid radiation: the Australian rainbow skinks. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 18(1), 15 - 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.
  • Copland, S. J. 1949. Taxonomic notes on the genus Ablepharus (Sauria: Scincidae). II. The races of Ablepharus burnetti OUDEMANS. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 73 (5/6): 362-371 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Couper, Patrick J.; Jessica Worthington Wilmer; Lewis Roberts; Andrew P. Amey and George R. Zug 2005. Skinks currently assigned to Carlia aerata (Scincidae : Lygosominae) of north-eastern Queensland: a preliminary study of cryptic diversity and two new species. Australian Journal of Zoology 53 (1): 35-49 - get paper here
  • Covacevich, J. 1971. Amphibian and reptile type specimens in the Queensland Museum. [type catalogue] Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 16: 49-68 - get paper here
  • Daan, S. & Hillenius,D. 1966. Catalogue of the type specimens of amphibians and reptiles in the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam. Beaufortia 13: 117-144
  • De Vis, C. W. 1884. New Queensland lizards. Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 1: 77-78 - get paper here
  • De Vis, C. W. 1885. A conspect of the genus Heteropus. Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 1: 166-173 - get paper here
  • Dolman, Gaynor & Andrew F. Hugall 2008. Combined mitochondrial and nuclear data enhance resolution of a rapid radiation of Australian rainbow skinks (Scincidae: Carlia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49 (3): 782-794 - get paper here
  • Ingram G; Covacevich J 1988. Revision of the genus Lygisaurus de Vis (Scincidae: Reptilia) in Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 25 (2): 335-354 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Murphy, Michael J. 2016. Survey of the reptiles and amphibians of Yarrigan National Park in the Pilliga forest of northern inland New South Wales. Australian Zoologist 38 (2): 147- - get paper here
  • Oudemans, J. Th. 1894. Eidechsen und Schildkröten. In Semon, R. Zoologische Forschungsreisen in Australien und dem Malayischen Archipel. Denkschriften der Medicinisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena, 8:127—146 - get paper here
  • PROBST, T., FRANDSEN, P. B., & WHITING, A. 2025. Chasing the Rainbow: Decoupled phenotypic and genotypic evolution in New Guinea’s rainbow skinks (Squamata: Scincidae). Zootaxa 5583(2): 309-327 - get paper here
  • Swan, G.; Sadlier, R.; Shea, G. 2017. A field guide to reptiles of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, 328 pp.
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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