Added 20 November 2025.
Liopholis is a genus of medium- to large-sized Australian skinks that was created on the basis of molecular systematics from two species formerly assigned to Egernia. They are live-bearers.
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QUICK INDEX |
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L. inornata, Desert Skink |
L. kintorei, Great Desert Skink |
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L. margaretae, Centralian-/Flinders Ranges Rock Skink |
L. modesta, Eastern Ranges Rock Skink |
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L. multiscutata, Heath Skink/ Southern Sand Skink |
L. personata, Flinders Ranges Rock Skink |
L. pulchra, South Western Rock Skink |
L. slateri, Centralian Floodplains Desert Skink |
L. striata, Nocturnal Skink |
L. whitii, White's Skink |
Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
Liopholis |
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L. guthega |
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Australia (NSW and Victoria) |
SVL 11cm |
Named in 2003. A very colonial lizard: large colonies share a burrow of networks under boulders and shrubs. Found in rocky areas in woodlands, tussock grasslands and heaths above 1600m. Scalation: smooth. Other: 17-20 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe. Coloration: dorsally blackish brown; pale grey to greyish-brown vertebral and dorsolateral stripes and numerous longitudinal rows of distinct pale spots. Juveniles are darker with indistinct stripes and white to pink spots. [SOURCE: Swan and Wilson] |
L. inornata |
(Unadorned) Desert Skink |
All Australia except Tasmania |
6½" |
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L. kintorei |
Great Desert Skink/ Kintore's Skink |
Northern Territory, South and Western Australia |
16" |
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L. margaretae |
Centralian-/Flinders Ranges Rock Skink |
Northern Territory and Southern Australia |
8.5" |
Click here for a picture. Subspecies personata is now considered a full species. |
L. m. margaretae |
Margaret's Rock Skink |
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L. m. personata |
Flinders Ranges Rock Skink |
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L. modesta |
Eastern Ranges Rock Skink/Scone Skink |
New South Wales and Queensland |
10" |
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L. montana |
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Australia (NSW and Victoria) |
SVL 11cm |
Named in 2003. A colonial lizard: colonies share a burrow of networks under rocks. Found in areas of granite associated with tall open forest and heath. Scalation: smooth. Other: 19-25 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe. Coloration: dorsally reddish brown; vertebral area greyish-brown; dorsal pattern absent or consists of 2 rows of dark brown marbling; dorsolaterally black with 1 or more rows of pale spots. Juveniles have prominent white spots alternating with dark stripes; this pattern fades with age. [SOURCE: Swan and Wilson] |
L. multiscutata |
Heath Skink/ Southern Sand Skink |
Victoria, South and Western Australia |
?" |
Of the two subspecies, the nominate form is known only from a limited range. |
L. m. multiscutata |
Insular Many-scaled Skink |
Greenly Island, South Australia |
?" |
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L. m. bos |
Southern Many-Scaled Skink |
Victoria, South and Western Australia |
?" |
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Flinders Ranges Rock Skink |
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Formerly considered a subspecies of L. modesta. |
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L. pulchra |
South Western Rock Skink |
Western Australia |
?" |
Both subspecies have a fairly limited range. |
L. p. pulchra |
Werner's Skink |
Islands off Jurien Bay, W Australia |
?" |
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L. p. longicauda |
Jurien Bay Skink |
SW Western Australia |
?" |
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L. slateri |
Centralian Floodplains Desert Skink |
Northern Territory and Southern Australia, possibly Queensland |
?" |
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L. s. slateri |
Slater's Skink |
S Northern Territory |
?" |
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L. s. virgata |
Saltbush Skink |
N Southern Australia |
?" |
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L. striata |
Nocturnal Desert Skink |
Northern Territory, South and Western Australia |
?" |
Click here for a picture by Eric Pianka. |
L. whitii |
White's Skink |
Australia |
10" |
Possibly 2-3 subspecies, but the non-nominate form L. w. tenebrosa is disputed. The other is L. w. moniligera, which likewise is not listed in the Reptile Database entry. Description: Head moderate. Curved groove behind the nostril absent or feebly marked; a vertical suture below the nostril; frontonasal in contact with the rostral and frequently also with the frontal; prefrontals sometimes forming a median suture; frontal not twice as long as broad, as long as or a little longer than the frontoparietal; four or five supraoculars, second largest; eight to ten supraciliaries; fifth and sixth, or sixth and seventh upper labials below the eye; three large temporals; one or two pairs of nuchals. Ear-opening nearly as large as the eye-opening, with three or four obtuse lobules anteriorly. Scales smooth, laterals a little smaller than dorsals and ventrals, 32 to 40 round the middle of the body. The adpressed limbs overlap. Digits moderately elongate. Tail more or less distinctly compressed, once and two fifths to once and two thirds the length of head and body; caudal scales smooth. Upper surfaces usually brown or olive-brown, with two dorsal black bands, each bearing a series of small yellowish-white or pale-brown spots; sides with similar black-edged spots or ocelli; lower surfaces pale olive, throat sometimes with black markings. The elegant markings of the upper surfaces may be almost or quite absent. Edge of the eyelids and ear-lobules constantly white. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
L. w. whitii |
Australia except Western and Northern Territory |
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L. w. moniligera |
Coastal and adjacent areas north of Nowra, New South Wales |
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“Molecular systematics of social skinks: phylogeny and taxonomy of the Egernia group (Reptilia: Scincidae)”, Michael G Gardner, Andrew F Hugall, Stephen C Donnellan, Mark N Hutchinson, Ralph Foster, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 154, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 781–794. The abstract of this paper discusses the phylogenetic analyses on which basis the authors proposed a revised taxonomic framework for the Egernia group.