Delicate Skink

Delicate skink - Lampropholis delicata

Other names: Rainbow Skink, Dark-flecked Garden Sun Skink,  Garden Skink, Plague Skink (NZ).

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata (Lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians)

Family: Scincidae (Skinks and Lizards)

Genus: Lampropholis (Ground skinks and sunskinks)

Species: delicata 

Description

Delicate skinks are a small species with a combined head and body length of up to 45 mm and a tail length of 55mm. They have short limbs, a small head and small ears. 

Various shades of grey along its back, its sides are dark, becoming paler toward the belly. A key identifying feature is a black, think, often broken line running down each side, with thicker, continuous light brown line below. 

Diet

Delicate skinks forage among leaf litter and grasses looking for insects and other small invertebrates.

Breeding

Females gather to lay their eggs in communal nests laying up to four eggs each.  Communal nests can contain over 200 eggs. At hatching the young measure about 32 mm.

Habitat

Delicate skinks are found in wide variety of habitats from rainforest edges, to coastal heaths and woodlands and are commonly found in suburban gardens. 

Distribution

Global: The Delicate Skink has become naturalized in New Zealand, Hawaii and on Lord Howe Island.

Australia: East coast of Australia: ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC.

Status

Secure.

Threats

References