Ctenotus brooksi

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Ctenotus brooksi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Ctenotus
Species:
C. brooksi
Binomial name
Ctenotus brooksi
(Loveridge, 1933)
Distribution Map from bie.ala.org.au.jpg
Ctenotus brooksi distribution - Atlas of Living Australia, Map data © OpenStreetMap, imagery © CartoDB
Synonyms [2]
  • Sphenomorphus leae brooksi
    Loveridge, 1933
  • Ctenotus brooksi
    — Cogger, 1983

Ctenotus brooksi, also known commonly as Brooks' wedge-snouted ctenotus, [3] the wedgesnout ctenotus, [4] and the sandhill ctenotus, [5] is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and found in semi-arid regions. [6]

Contents

Description

C. brooksi can reach a total length (including the tail) of 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in), noting that lizard measurements are often recorded using the snout-to-vent length (SVL) in recognition that many lizards lose and regrow their tails. [3] C. brooksi has a SVL of 5 cm (2.0 in). [7]

Likely due to the distribution of C. brooksi across isolated populations, there is a large amount of variation in colour and pattern. This variation is significantly more than other Ctenotus species. [8] Its colour varies from fawn, orange, pink, to a reddish brown, changing slightly to a more grey-green on the tail, with a lighter colour underside. [9] It may have a narrow pale-edged black vertical stripe from nape to tail, with or without an additional black stripe or dark flecks on each side of the vertebral stripe. [7] Some individuals may have a white mid-lateral stripe from groin to ear. [4] It supralabials (scales on its upper lip) are usually whitish with faint barring. [8] It has 24 to 28 mid body scale rows, and nasals separated or narrowly contacting. [8]

Like others in the genus Ctenotus, C. brooksi, has smooth scales, ear openings with anterior lobules, well developed limbs, each with five digits. [3] Its lower eyelid is movable, but a transparent palpebral disc is not present in the eyelid. [3] Skinks in the genus Ctenotus are commonly known as "comb-eared skinks" because they have a row of small scales on the anterior edge of the ear. [10]

Identification of individuals within the genus Ctenotus and the broader family Scincidae is also based on the number of scales and how they are distributed on the skink's head as well as lamellae (fine plates) on the underside of the lizard's toes. Detailed examples and diagrams are provided in Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia by Harold Cogger. [7]

Taxonomy and etymology

This species was first described as a subspecies, Sphenomorphus leae brooksi, by British herpetologist Loveridge in 1933. [8]

It was named after American ornithologist Winthrop Sprague Brooks of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, who collected reptiles in Western Australia between 1926 and 1927. [11] [12]

The taxon was elevated to species status and assigned to the genus Ctenotus by Australian herpetologist Harold Cogger in 1983. [2]

The genus Ctenotus is the largest Australian reptile genus and can be the most difficult to identify. [11] The genus includes 104 species. [3]

Distribution

The species C. brooksi is endemic to Australia and is found in south-eastern Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, south-western Queensland, north-western New South Wales (NSW) (in the Sturt National Park) and north-western Victoria. [6] It is generally found between latitudes of -20oS and -37oS. [6]

While widespread, populations are thought to be isolated due to areas of stony or clayey terrain between populations. [8]

Ecology and Habitat

C. brooksi prefers desert sand ridge habitats. [7] [4] It prefers areas of loose sand interspersed with vegetation around dune crests. [4] It is likely to be restricted to habitats containing spinifex (Triodia). [13]

C. brooksi is diurnal, surface active, and fast moving, but elusive and rarely observed. [14]

Reproduction

All species in the genus Ctenotus, including C. brooksi are oviparous, whereby they produce young by laying eggs. [3] They tend to lay their eggs in September and January, which is earlier than many other Ctenotus species. The average clutch size is 2.2. [15]

Diet

C. brooksi is a generalist as it feeds on a variety of insect prey. [15] It consumes ants, beetles and bugs. [9]

Threats

One study undertaken in Roxby Downs, in northern South Australia identified feral cats as a key predator of C. brooksi. [16]

While modelling suggests that the range size for C. brooksi is expected to decrease by 2050, it is still classified as having low climate change vulnerability. [15] This is based on a range of variables which include habit specialisation, dietary specialisation, threatened status and clutch size. Notably, other skinks in the genus Ctenotus, such as C. calurus and C. zastictus have been found to be highly vulnerable to climate change. [15]

Uncapped and abandoned opal mining shafts such as those in Coober Pedy have been found to be a hazard for many small vertebrate species, including C. brooksi. [17] Small vertebrates fall down the shafts which can be over 30 metres deep and are permanently open. The number of reptiles caught in shafts per year is estimated to be 10 to 28 million, with a small proportion of these (<1%) being C. brooksi. [17]

Grazing by introduced herbivores that affects the density and structure of spinifex, shrubs and ground cover is believed to degrade C. brooksi habitat, thereby increasing the risk of predation when individuals move between patches of vegetation. Disturbance from stock trampling also degrades C. brooksi habitat by altering soil structure and facilitating weed invasion. [18] [5]

The fragmented C. brooksi population results in the species being more vulnerable to stochastic events. [5]

Endangered status

C. brooksi is categorised as being of 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List as it is an abundant species with an overall stable populations. [1] It was however included on the NSW Government vulnerable species listing in 2004 as it was found likely to become endangered in New South Wales unless threatening factors were removed or managed. [5]

Management strategies in NSW

Due to its vulnerable status in NSW, key management sites will be identified by the NSW Government to implement cost-effective management actions. [19] The identified state-wide conservation actions to be implemented include: footnote here: [19]

Controlling feral goats, feral pigs and rabbits near dense populations

Related Research Articles

<i>Ctenotus</i> Genus of lizards

Ctenotus is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is endemic to Australia. The genus Ctenotus belongs to a clade in the Sphenomorphus group which contains such genera as Anomalopus and the close relatives Eulamprus and Gnypetoscincus.

<i>Eulamprus quoyii</i> Species of lizard

Eulamprus quoyii, more commonly known as the eastern water skink, eastern water-skink, or golden water skink, is a viviparous species of diurnal skink. Eulamprus quoyii belongs to the family Scincidae and is considered a common garden animal in Australia. The skink is endemic to Australia and found only along the east coast of the country. It makes its home in creekside habitats along the east coast of Australia and in urban garden areas with high amounts of moisture. The species can be identified by the twin, long yellow stripes that run along its body from the top of the eye, as well as by several more specific character derived states. The pale yellow dorsolateral stripes are most likely where its common name, the golden water skink, is derived. Like other ectotherms, the skink can often be seen basking in the sun on rocky outcroppings in order to regulate its body temperature. Its diet mainly consists of both aquatic and terrestrial insects, tadpoles and small amounts of plant matter. The skink both hunts for food and scavenges when necessary and is considered an opportunistic feeder. It is prey to larger lizards, snakes, cats and birds and so will often be seen moving quickly into hiding when other organisms are present.

<i>Ctenotus robustus</i> Species of lizard

The eastern striped skink is a species of skink found in a wide variety of habitats around Australia. They are long-tailed, fast moving skinks that are quite large, growing to a maximum length of about 30 cm. This skink is mostly brown with a white-edged black stripe running down the length of its back and tail with broad brown stripes along the side of the body with rows of white spots. The sides become lighter, turning into an off-white colour towards the underside of the skink, running from the groin to the chin. The striped skink is similar in appearance to the spotted-back skink with the main identifying difference being the solid stripe running down the back of C. robustus whereas C. uber orientalis has a row of dots.

<i>Ctenotus strauchii</i> Species of lizard

Ctenotus strauchii, also known commonly as the eastern barred wedge-snout ctenotus or Strauch's ctenotus, is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and is found throughout semi-arid and arid regions in most of Australia's mainland states except Western Australia, although one record does exist for Western Australia in 1975.

Ctenotus zebrilla, also known commonly as the Southern Cape York fine-snout ctenotus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Ctenotus pantherinus</i> Species of lizard

Ctenotus pantherinus, commonly known as the Leopard Ctenotus, is a species of skink endemic to central and western Australia. It's conservation status is currently classified as Least Concern.

The saltbush slender bluetongue is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the arid interior of eastern Australia. Although its conservation status is of least concern, it has been listed as endangered in New South Wales. The slender saltbush bluetongue has been recorded in Sturt National Park in New South Wales but extends into northeast South Australia and south-west Queensland.

<i>Ctenotus allotropis</i> Species of lizard

Ctenotus allotropis, the brown-blazed wedgesnout ctenotus, is a species of skink found in New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

The Southern Mallee ctenotus is a medium sized lizard in the family scincidae (skink) found in the central and southern interior regions of South Australia and Western Australia; the Mallee regions of NSW and Victoria, in Australia.

Ctenotus hanloni, also known commonly as Hanlon's ctenotus and the nimble ctenotus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Ctenotus inornatus</i> Species of lizard

The bar-shouldered ctenotus is a species of skink found in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.

<i>Ctenotus leonhardii</i> Species of lizard

Ctenotus leonhardii, known by the common names Leonhardi's ctenotus, Leonhardi's skink or common desert ctenotus, is a species of skink found in a range of arid and semi-arid regions throughout mainland Australia. The species was named after German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi in 1919 and belongs to the genus Ctenotus, one of the largest genera of lizards in Australia.

<i>Ctenotus olympicus</i> Species of lizard

The olympic ctenotus, also referred to as the 'spotted ctenotus' or 'saltbush ctenotus', is a species of skink endemic to the arid shrublands of central and southern Australia.

<i>Ctenotus regius</i> Species of lizard

The pale-rumped ctenotus or regal striped skink is a medium-sized species of skink with an arid distribution restricted to the Australian Mainland, which belongs to the largest group of reptiles in Australia, Ctentotus.

<i>Ctenotus schomburgkii</i> Species of lizard

The barred wedge-snout ctenotus is a species of skink found in Australia.[2]

Ctenotus spaldingi is a diurnal terrestrial skink (Scincidae) species of lizard, commonly known as the straight-browed ctenotus or Spalding's ctenotus. Native to Australia the species is found in the northern areas of Australia, along the east coast, in the north and east of South Australia and throughout Victoria and in southern Papua New Guinea. Their conservation status is of least concern classified by the IUCN. Individuals can be up to 30cm long from the snout to tail or 10cm long from the snout to vent (SVL). They typically inhabit grasslands and low vegetation in savannah woodlands in coastal dune areas, monsoon scrub and woodland commonly found around rock outcrops and when disturbed will hide in shallow burrows or amongst ground litter.

Ctenotus youngsoni, also known commonly as the Shark Bay south-west ctenotus and Youngson's ctenotus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. The specific name, youngsoni, is in honour of Australian zoologist William Kenneth Youngson. C. youngsoni is found in the Australian state of Western Australia. The preferred natural habitat of C. youngsoni is shrubland. C. youngsoni has well-developed limbs, with five toes on each of its four feet. C. youngsoni is oviparous.

<i>Hemiergis millewae</i> Species of reptile

The Hemiergis millewae, commonly known as the Millewa skink or Triodia earless skink, is a species of hemiergis lizards that is endemic to Australia. It is a specialist species, highly dependent on Spinifex for food and shelter, and has only been observed in semi-arid Mallee woodlands of southern and eastern Australia. It is considered endangered throughout parts of its range.

<i>Lerista timida</i> Australian species of skink

Lerista timida, the dwarf three-toed slider or wood mulch-slider, is a species of skink found in Australia. Other common names for the species include timid slider and dwarf burrowing skink. The skink is a member of the Lerista genus which are confined to continental Australia and are mostly a burrowing species of skink. The genus consists of consists elongated, smooth-scaled, Fossorial lizards that are specialized for life in the upper soils and dry leaf litter through which they slide using Lateral undulation as a form of locomotive action, giving rise to their nickname as sliders. They normally emerge of a night-time to hunt for small Invertebrates such as ants, termites and insects. If disturbed, they dive immediately into any loose substrate to avoid predation, this behavior leaves behind a distinctive disrupted wavy track that often found on sandy flats or dunes, roads and tracks.

The Spinifex slender blue-tongue or Samphire slender bluetongue is an endemic species of skink that inhabits the arid areas of central Australia. The Spinifex slender blue-tongue is closely related to the large blue-tongue skinks. However is individually categorised under the Genus Cyclodomorphus and species Cyclodomorphus melanops(C. melanops).

References

  1. 1 2 Ford, S.; Gaikhorst, G.; How, R.; Cowan, M.; Zichy-Woinarski, J. (2017). "Ctenotus brooksi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T109463090A109463093. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109463090A109463093.en . Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 Species Ctenotus brooksi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2017). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia: Fifth Edition. Chatswood, NSW. ISBN   978-1-925546-02-6. OCLC   1003055388.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Wedgesnout ctenotus (Ctenotus brooksi) - vulnerable species listing". NSW Environment and Heritage. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Department for Environment and Water - Native animal species list". Department for Environment and Water. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  6. 1 2 3 Australia, Atlas of Living. "Species: Ctenotus brooksi (Brooks Ctenotus)". bie.ala.org.au. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cogger, Harold (2019). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia: Updated Seventh Edition. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing. 1,080 pp. ISBN   978-1486309696. OCLC   1061116404.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Hutchinson, M.; Adams, M.; Fricker, S. (2006-01-01). "Genetic Variation and Taxonomy of the Ctenotus Brooksi [sic] Species-Complex (Squamata: Scincidae)". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 130 (1): 48–65. doi:10.1080/3721426.2006.10887047. ISSN   0372-1426. S2CID   87854518.
  9. 1 2 Swan, Gerry (1990). A Field Guide to the Snakes and Lizards of New South Wales. Winmalee, NSW: Three Sisters Productions. ISBN   0-9590203-9-X. OCLC   23830309.
  10. ↑ The Australian Museum. "Ctenotus – Australian Lizards". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  11. 1 2 Storr, G. M.; Smith, L.A.; Johnstone, R.E. (1999). Lizards of Western Australia. I, Skinks (Rev. ed.). Perth: Western Australian Museum. ISBN   0-7307-2656-8. OCLC   42335524.
  12. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Brooks' Ctenotus Ctenotus brooksi ", p. 40).
  13. ↑ Sadlier, R.A.; Pressey, R.L. (1994). "Reptiles and amphibians of particular conservation concern in the Western Division of New South Wales: A preliminary review". Biological Conservation. 69 (1): 41–54. Bibcode:1994BCons..69...41S. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(94)90327-1.
  14. ↑ Swan, Gerry; Shea, Glenn; Sadlier, Ross (2003). A Field Guide to Reptiles of New South Wales. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland. ISBN   1-877069-06-X. OCLC   224012852.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Cabrelli, Abigail L.; Hughes, Lesley (2015). "Assessing the vulnerability of Australian skinks to climate change". Climatic Change. 130 (2): 223–233. Bibcode:2015ClCh..130..223C. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1358-6. ISSN   0165-0009. S2CID   153428168.
  16. ↑ Read, John; Bowen, Zoë (2001). "Population dynamics, diet and aspects of the biology of feral cats and foxes in arid South Australia". Wildlife Research. 28 (2): 195. doi:10.1071/WR99065. ISSN   1035-3712.
  17. 1 2 Pedler, Reece D. (2010). "The impacts of abandoned mining shafts: Fauna entrapment in opal prospecting shafts at Coober Pedy, South Australia: RESEARCH REPORT". Ecological Management & Restoration. 11 (1): 36–42. doi:10.1111/j.1442-8903.2010.00511.x.
  18. ↑ Read, John L. (2002). "Experimental trial of Australian arid zone reptiles as early warning indicators of overgrazing by cattle: ARID ZONE REPTILES AS INDICATORS OF OVERGRAZING". Austral Ecology. 27 (1): 55–66. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2002.01159.x.
  19. 1 2 "Wedgesnout Ctenotus (Ctenotus brooksi)". NSW office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 2022-06-12.

Further reading



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