Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink

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Cunningham's skink
Cunningham's skink444.jpg
Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink basking in the sunlight
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Egernia
Species:
E. cunninghami
Binomial name
Egernia cunninghami
(Gray, 1832)
Synonyms [2]
  • Tiliqua cunninghami
    Gray, 1832
  • Egernia krefftii
    W. Peters, 1871
  • Egernia lohmanni
    F. Werner, 1917
  • Egernia cunninghami
    Cogger, 1983

Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink (Egernia cunninghami), also known commonly as Cunningham's skink, is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southeastern Australia.

Contents

Etymology

Both the specific name, cunninghami, and the common names are in honour of English botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham. [3]

Description

E. cunninghami can reach up to 40 cm (16 inches) in total length (including tail), and may be confused with the blue-tongued lizards (genus Tiliqua ).

Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink has a distinctive keel on each scale, which gives it a slightly spiny appearance. It is extremely variable in colour, ranging from dark brown to black, with or without blotchy patches, speckles, or narrow bands. [4]

Habitat

E. cunninghami prefers to live communally in the crevices of rocky outcrops or hollow logs. [4]

Diet

Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink is a diurnal omnivore, with its diet including insects, flowers, berries, fungi, leaves and young shoots.[ citation needed ]

Conservation status

There is currently research being done on the isolated population of Cunningham's skink that inhabits the southern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. This population is considered vulnerable due to the fragmented (disjunct) distribution of the "colonies". There is evidence that at least one of these colonies has totally disappeared. It is more common within suitable habitat along the southeastern coast and ranges of Australia.[ citation needed ]

Reproduction

Like some other reptiles, E. cunninghami is viviparous, [2] giving birth to six or more live young in a litter. [5]

Inbreeding avoidance

Habitat fragmentation can affect a species population by disrupting core processes. One such process is inbreeding avoidance (avoiding inbreeding depression). The impact of habitat alteration (deforestation) on inbreeding was studied in the rock-dwelling Australian lizard Egernia cunninghami. [6] Such populations in deforested areas experience potentially inbreeding-enhancing factors such as reduced dispersal and increased relatedness. However, active avoidance of close kin as mates was observed, as indicated by the substantially lower relatedness in actual breeding pairs compared to potential ones expected if there were random mating. This finding, as well as heterozygous excesses in immature lizards from disturbed (as well as undisturbed) habitats indicated that it maintains outbreeding in the face of increased accumulation of relatives. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Egernia</i> Genus of lizards

Egernia is a genus of skinks that occurs in Australia. These skinks are ecologically diverse omnivores that inhabit a wide range of habitats. However, in the loose delimitation the genus is not monophyletic but an evolutionary grade, as has long been suspected due to its lack of characteristic apomorphies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink-tongued skink</span> Species of lizard

The pink-tongued skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. C. gerrardii is endemic to Australia, where it is also called commonly the pink-tongued lizard. As suggested by these common names, its distinguishing characteristic is a pink tongue as opposed to the blue tongue of lizards of the closely related genus Tiliqua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-tongued skink</span> Genus of lizards

Blue-tongued skinks comprise the Australasian genus Tiliqua, which contains some of the largest members of the skink family (Scincidae). They are commonly called blue-tongued lizards or simply blue-tongues or blueys in Australia. As suggested by these common names, a prominent characteristic of the genus is a large blue tongue that can be bared as bluff-warning to potential enemies. The type of predator/threat that is near will determine the intensity of colour present in the tongue. In addition, their blue tongue will produce a response in the prey which will in turn diminish the attack. The tongue can also deform itself and produce a thick mucus in order to catch prey. They are relatively shy in comparison with other lizards, and also significantly slower due to their shorter legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's skink</span> Species of lizard

King's skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

The great desert skink, also known commonly as Kintore's egernia, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White's skink</span> Species of lizard

White's skink, also known commonly as White's rock skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Anomalopus swansoni, also known commonly as the punctate worm-skink or Swanson's burrowing skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centralian blue-tongued skink</span> Species of lizard

The Centralian blue-tongued skink or Centralian blue-tongue is a species of skink, occurring predominantly in the far north-west corner of New South Wales, Australia. It is one of six species belonging to the genus Tiliqua; the blue-tongued skinks and the shinglebacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stokes's skink</span> Species of lizard

Egernia stokesii is a gregarious species of lizard of the Scincidae family. This diurnal species is endemic to Australia, and is also known as the Gidgee skink, spiny-tailed skink, Stokes's skink and Stokes's egernia. The species forms stable, long-term social aggregations, much like the social groups seen in mammalian and avian species. This characteristic is rarely found in the Squamata order, but is widespread within the Australian subfamily of Egerniinae skinks. Populations of E. stokesii are widely distributed, but fragmented, and occur in semi-arid environments. There are three recognised subspecies. The conservation status for the species is listed as least concern, however, one subspecies is listed as endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern mourning skink</span> Species of lizard

The eastern mourning skink, also known commonly as Coventry's spinytail skink and the swamp skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink</span> Species of lizard

Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink or 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black rock skink</span> Species of lizard

The Black Rock Skink is a species of large skink native to Eastern and Southern Australia from central New South Wales to Grampians National Park in Victoria. A large, dark colored skink, up to 135 mm from snout to base of the tail, the Black Rock Skink is the first reptile discovered to have a "nuclear family" structure where the parents form a pair and care for their offspring for more than one year. The Black Rock Skink is a viviparous skink meaning females give birth to live offspring instead of laying eggs. They defend their home range and families against conspecifics for up to several years.

Egernia douglasi, also known commonly as the Kimberley crevice-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert egernia</span> Species of lizard

The desert egernia or unadorned desert-skink, desert skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The desert egernia is endemic to the continent of Australia, and is widespread, with populations recorded in all mainland states and territories except the Australian Capital Territory. The desert egernia is found in dry, desert areas with deep, uncompacted sandy/loamy soils and little significant vegetation cover.

Slater's desert skink, also known commonly as the Centralian Floodplains desert-skink, Slater's egernia, and Slater's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. There are two recognized subspecies.

<i>Carinascincus coventryi</i> Species of lizard

Carinascincus coventryi, also known commonly as Coventry's window-eyed skink and the southern forest cool-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Cryptoblepharus buchananii</i> Species of lizard

Cryptoblepharus buchananii, also known commonly as Buchanan's snake-eyed skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.

Menetia alanae, also known commonly as Alana's menetia and the Top End dwarf skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Saproscincus challengeri, also known commonly as the Border Ranges shadeskink, Challenger's skink, the challenging shade skink, and the orange-tailed shadeskink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

References

  1. Shea, G.; Cogger, H.; Greenlees, M. (2018). "Egernia cunninghami". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T109470194A109470197. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T109470194A109470197.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Species Egernia cunninghami at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 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 cunninghami, p. 63).
  4. 1 2 Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2006). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Second Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishing. 512 pp. ISBN   978-1877069468.
  5. Cunningham's Skink, Egernia cunninghami, Information Sheet. Museum of Victoria.
  6. 1 2 Stow AJ, Sunnucks P (2004). "Inbreeding avoidance in Cunningham's spiny-tailed skinks (Egernia cunninghami) in natural and fragmented habitat". Molecular Ecology. 13 (2): 443–447. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.02060.x. PMID   14717898. S2CID   23234929.

Further reading