Atlas species information

Habitat

• Densely vegetated and typically damp habitats in lowland areas, including forest, scrub, farmland and coastlines, including among pohuehue on boulder banks.
• Typically in lowland areas, but on Mount Taranaki up to 1000 m above sea level.
• Diurnal, sun-basks but is secretive.
• Often co-exists with the similar-looking common skink.

Description

• Back light to dark brown, sometimes with greyish or reddish tones, sometimes with an indefinite dark brown mid-dorsal (middle of back) stripe, and often with indefinite lighter and darker flecking.
• Sides brown or grey-brown, often flecked; upper areas often with a broad dark brown stripe that is typically bordered above (but narrowing or ending before tail) by a thin cream stripe, and sometimes below by a very thin, often fractured cream stripe.
• Some shoreline populations blackish.
• Throat grey and often flecked with black.
• Belly grey, straw-brown or flushed red or orange, and sometimes flecked with black.
• Soles of feet dark brown or black.
• Measures up to 73 mm from snout tip to vent.

Distribution

• South-western North Island from Taranaki to Wellington, and Marlborough, Nelson (sparse) and northern Westland.
• Often abundant, but is of localized occurrence, especially so in South Island.

Notes

• The scientific name refers to New Zealand.
• Notes about 2012-14 cycle of NZ threat classification for Reptiles: (Hitchmough, et al.
• 2012): Few scattered records from Nelson, the West Coast and Wellington, very few from Taranaki - likely to be declining.
• Secure on islands in the Sounds and likely to be stable.
• Half of total population is likely to still be on the mainland, and declining.
• Recovery on Mana following mouse eradication suggests high vulnerability to rodent predation.