Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink

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Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink
Egernia hosmeri.jpg
Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink at Philadelphia Zoo
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Scinciformata
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Egerniidae
Genus: Egernia
Species:
E. hosmeri
Binomial name
Egernia hosmeri
(Kinghorn, 1955)

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink (Egernia hosmeri), also known commonly as Hosmer's egernia and Hosmer's skink, is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is a diurnal, rock-dwelling species native to Northern Australia.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, hosmeri, is in honour of Australian herpetologist William Hosmer. [2]

Description

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink is mostly reddish-brown on top, with both scattered darker and paler spots along the back, legs, and tail. It has a darker brown head and neck, white abdomen, and a few dark brown blotches under the chin. The snout-to-vent (SVL) is 18 cm (7.1 in), with a round, tapering tail about 60% of the SVL. [3] It is most closely related to Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink (Egernia cunninghami), however the tail of E. hosmeri is flattened and spinier than that of E. cunninghami. [4]

Geographic range

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skin is found throughout dry, rocky regions of Queensland and the Northern Territory. [3] [5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of E. hosmeri is rocky areas. [1]

Behaviour

E. hosmeri is terrestrial. [1]

Reproduction

Like some other reptiles, E. hosmeri is viviparous, giving birth to an average of four live young at a time. [6]

Diet

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink is omnivorous, eating insects, leaves, shoots, and berries. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoskin, C.; Couper, P. (2018). "Egernia hosmeri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T109470437A109470442. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T109470437A109470442.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ 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. (Egernia hosmeri, p. 126).
  3. 1 2 Cogger, Harold G. (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. p. 544. ISBN   978-0-643-10035-0 . Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Kinghorn, J. Roy (1 September 1955). "Herpetological notes. No. 5" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 23 (5): 283–286. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.23.1955.638 . Retrieved 30 January 2019. (Egernia hosmeri, new species, p. 286 + Plate XIV).
  5. ↑ Clayton, Mark; Wombley, John; Mason, Ian; Chesser, R. Terry; Alice, Wells (2006). CSIRO list of Australian vertebrates: a reference with conservation status (2nd ed.). CSIRO PUBLISHING. p. 29. ISBN   978-0-643-09880-0 . Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Hosmer's skink". Australian Reptile Park. Australian Reptile Park. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2019.

Further reading


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