Lampropholis delicata
| Delicate skink or garden skink |
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| Lampropholis delicata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Lampropholis |
| Species: | L. delicata |
| Binomial name | |
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Lampropholis delicata (De Vis, 1888) |
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The delicate skink,dark-flecked garden sun skink,garden skink or plague skink (Lampropholis delicata) is a skink of the subfamily Lygosominae, originally from Eastern Australia. In its native range and in New Zealand it is also known as the rainbow skink, a term that usually refers to the African Trachylepis margaritifera, also a member of the Lygosominae.
It was accidentally introduced to New Zealand in the early 1960s. It is the only introduced reptile in New Zealand to successfully establish a wild population. It is found in several parts of the North Island, and occupies similar habitats to the native copper skink (Cyclodina aenea). The delicate skink is considered a pest species in New Zealand, as they reproduce much more rapidly than native lizards, and compete with other native lizards and mammals for food and habitat. They prey on many native invertebrates in the area as well.
It has also become naturalized in Hawaii, where it is reportedly now the most numerous skink, and on Lord Howe Island.
The delicate skink is more common in suburban gardens than in adjacent native bushland. It has a moderate body with a medium length, slender tail. Its scales are smooth. The back and sides are greyish-brown to rich brown, often with darker and paler flecks. A narrow yellowish-brown stripe is usually present on the outer edge of the back. The species can also have two distinct forms: a prominent white stripe and a less prominent white stripe. This dimorphism is not strictly distinguished by gender.
The females of the Lampropholis delicata species have a distinct color dimorphism. As of now, two morphs are known: a prominent white stripe and a dull white stripe along the lateral to midsection of the body. The continuation of each morph is often linked to its fitness advantage in crypsis but varies for each sex and temperature exposure. The presence of the stripe can confer a fitness advantage in females but in males the coloration may cause exposure to predation therefore the less distinct striped morph occurs more frequently in the males of the species. However the ultimate cause of this color dimorphism in not entirely conclusive for each sex but may be attributed geographical distribution, natural barriers, habitat preference, and sexual selection.
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Wikipedia