Concinnia queenslandiae
| Prickly Skink | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Concinnia |
| Species: | C. queenslandiae |
| Binomial name | |
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Concinnia queenslandiae (De Vis, 1890) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Tropidophorus queenslandiae De Vis, 1890 |
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Tropidophorus queenslandiae De Vis, 1890
Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae (De Vis, 1890)
The Prickly Skink, or Prickly Forest Skink (Concinnia queenslandiae), is a morphologically and genetically distinctive species of skink endemic to rainforests of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, in north-eastern Australia. Unlike most small skinks, which have smooth scales, this species has rough, ridged and pointed scales. These keeled scales may be an adaptation to their high-rainfall habitat, to their microhabitat in rotting logs, or to camouflage when moving through forest leaf-litter.
This species is a member of the Australian Sphenomorphid group of skinks (family Scincidae), which includes such genera as Ctenotus, Anomalopus and Eulamprus. Although formerly placed in the monotypic genus Gnypetoscincus, molecular phylogenetic studies by O'Connor & Moritz (2003) and Skinner et al.(2013) demonstrated that this species forms a well supported clade that included Nangura spinosa (also an unusual, narrowly endemic monotypic genus) along with the five species of the Eulamprus tenuis group. Among other taxonomic changes within the Australian Sphenomorphids, Skinner and co-authors placed this well supported clade into the genus Concinnia, with the Nangur Spiny Skink, C. spinosus, and the prickly skink, C. queenslandiae, as successive sister groups to the remaining species .
The Prickly Skink is a habitat specialist restricted to closed canopy forest in high rainfall areas (rainforests) of the Australian Wet Tropics, extending from lowland tropical rainforest to montane forests on the adjacent hills and tablelands. Within these rainforests prickly skinks occur within rotting logs and leaf litter and although locally abundant in some areas, they are rarely seen without searching. This is a well buffered environment with very low seasonality. This species is Ovoviviparous, and despite living in an equable climate, reproduction is seasonal, with females giving birth to 2-5 young in February - April. Animals mature at a snout-vent length (SVL) of around 50 mm and grow to a maximum SVL of 85 mm, with no obvious difference in external morphology or size between females and males. A study suggested that this corresponds with an age of 5 years at maturity and a maximum life-span around 10 years. Unlike most skinks this is a vocal species with high-pitched but audible calls recorded in the field and in captivity, associated with handling and with aggressive interactions among females.
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