Delicate Skink

Delicate skink - Lampropholis delicata

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

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

• Habitat loss from land clearing 

• Habitat degradation by introduced species such as cattle and rabbits 

• Feral predators such as cats and foxes

• Domestic cats

References 

• Sumner, J. and Melville, J. (2017) Lampropholis delicata Dark-flecked Garden Sunskink in Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/species/12406 Accessed 13 February 2019 

• Photos by Melissa Allen under permit