Atlas species information
Introduction
Detailed species information from your search of the Atlas.- Scientific name:
- Oligosoma zelandicum
- Common name:
- glossy brown skink
- Naming authority:
- (Gray, 1843)
- Bio status category:
- Indigenous (Endemic)
- IUCN threat status:
- Lower Risk: least concern
- NZ threat classification:
- Declining
Refer to www.doc.govt.nz/nztcs for NZ threat classification system details.
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.
Statistical information and distribution map
Before 1988 | Since 1988 | |
---|---|---|
Live Specimen | 174 | 467 |
Dead Specimen | 0 | 7 |
Bone | 1 | 0 |
Total | 175 | 474 |
Live or dead specimen or shed skin
Bone or fossil