Added 14 October 2001. Last updated 28 January 2008: updated E. coventryi and E. cunninghami.

A look at the Family Scincidae

EGERNIA


Introduction

Egernia are a genus of medium- to large-sized Australian skinks, some of which are distinguished by their heavily keeled scales. A few have become established in captivity, although breeding remains sporadic. They are live-bearers.

Cogger characterises the genus as follows: moderate to large size; well-developed limbs; parietal shields not in contact behind interparietal; fourth toe much longer than the third; scalation may be smooth or rough, the rough-scaled species tending to occupy rocky environments; usually diurnal, but some desert species crepuscular or nocturnal; viviparous, usually producing 6 or fewer young.

The genus is found in most of Australia, including Tasmania. One species (E. frerei, the Major Skink) is also found in New Guinea.

E. arnhemensis, Arnhem Land Gorges Skink E. carinata, Dark Spinytail Skink E. coventryi, Swamp/Eastern Mourning Skink
E. cunninghami, Cunningham's Skink E. depressa,Pygmy Spiny-Tailed Skink E. douglasi,Kimberley Crevice Skink
E. formosa, Goldfield's Crevice Skink E. frerei, Major Skink E. guthega
E. hosmeri, Hosmer's Skink E. inornata, Desert Skink E. kingii, King's Skink
E. kintorei, Great Desert Skink E. luctuosa, Mourning Skink E. major, Land Mullet
E. margaretae, Centralian-/Flinders Ranges Rock Skink E. mcpheei, Eastern Crevice Skink/McPhee's Skink E. modesta, Eastern Ranges Rock Skink
E. montana E. multiscutata, Heath Skink/ Southern Sand Skink E. napoleonis, South Western Crevice Skink
E. pilbarensis, Pilbara Crevice Skink E. pulchra, South Western Rock Skink E. richardi, Bight Crevice Skink
E. rugosa, Yakka Skink E. saxatilis, Black Rock Skink E. slateri, Centralian Floodplains Desert Skink
E. stokesii, Stokes'/Gidgee Skink E. striata, Nocturnal Skink E. striolata, Tree Skink
E. whitii, White's Skink    

Scientific Name Common Name Distribution Size Notes
Egernia
E. arnhemensis Arnhem Land Gorges Skink Northern Territory (Alligator Rivers region) 9?" Not listed by Swan and Wilson but accepted by the EMBL database. 
E. carinata Dark Spinytail Skink South and Western Australia 8"/21cm (10cm SVL, tail approx. 110% of SVL) Not listed by Swan and Wilson but accepted by the EMBL database. Found in the interior. Scalation details: nasals usually narrowly separated or in contact; interparietal narrower than frontal; 5-7 supraciliaries; moderately strong postnarial groove; 2-4 ear lobules; head shields regular and unfragmented. Dorsal scalation: 28-34 rows at midbody, middorsals usually with 3-4 moderate keels. Other: 18-24 smooth undivided subdigital lamellae on 4th toe. Coloration: dorsally dark grey brown, olive brown or brown, with numerous blackish and often pale-edged dashes forming 8 narrow discontinous longitudinal stripes; dark temporal streak usually continuous with blackish dorsolateral zone with scattered pale scales; upper labials pale brown or whitish, may have darker sutures; ventrally pale; chest and abdomen often flushed with pale orange, throat with grey.
E. coventryi Eastern Mourning Skink/Swamp Skink/Coventry's Skink South Australia and Victoria: possibly New South Wales 10" Found near water, including tidal marshes, and shelters in burrows including those of crustaceans. Scalation details: nasals narrowly separated or in contact; interparietal narrower than frontal; 5-7 supraciliaries; well-developed postnarial groove; 2 moderate ear lobules; head shields regular and unfragmented. Dorsal scalation: 20-24 rows at midbody, dorsals usually faintly striated. Other: 17-22 subdigital lamellae on 4th toe. Coloration: dorsally pale greenish brown, olive brown or yellow brown; many or all dorsal scales have black anterior edge, some also having black lateral edges and joining to form conspicuous dorsolateral stripe from nape to base of tail; black stripe from above ear to base of tail widens on body to become wide black dorsolateral band enclosing some paler scales; head and limbs usually dorsally flecked and streaked blackish; limbs have scattered pale spots; pale labial stripe; ventrally whitish; throat and ventrolateral surfaces often flushed with olive green.
E. cunninghami Cunningham's Skink New South Wales, Queensland, Southern Australia and Victoria 12" Perhaps the best known of the Egernia genus, at least in captivity, and one of its bigger species. The two subspecies are not recognised in most listings and are included for the sake of completeness. See also Experiences of Cunninghams Skinks. In the wild they live communally in crevices in rock outcrops, or occasionally in hollow logs. There is still much to be learnt about the keeping of these skinks, or at least put into print. Cogger calls this a highly variable species complex, and thus individuals vary across the range. Scalation: nasals usually separated; interparietal narrower than frontal; postnarial groove present; 7-8 superciliaries; 3-5 moderate ear lobules; scales on back, flanks and tail have single sharp spiny keel. Dorsal scalation: 36-44 rows at midbody. Other: 16-22 subdigital lamellae. Coloration: overall may be grey-brown, olive-brown or a shade of brown or black; head often somewhat lighter than body, especially in young, and often with scattered whitish spots. Dorsally may be uniform or have pattern of dark brown scales and white or cream flecks or spots; in many individuals the darker markings tend to align transversely to form narrow and irregular transverse bands; in other individuals pale spots predominate. Tail usually ringed with darker brown, pale interspaces being same colour as dorsum in adults but often white in young. Ventrally whitish; usually dark brown transverse bars or variegations present on throat; these continue over whole ventral surface in young but by adulthood are usually reduced to series of scattered brown spots or obscure transverse bars on chest and abdomen. Many labials have white or cream spots. Marginal scales of eyelids pale or cream; auricular lobules pale. Reproduction: 4-6 young.
E. c. cunninghami Cunningham's Skink
E. c. kreffti Krefft's Spiny-Tailed Skink
E. depressa Pygmy Spiny-Tailed Skink Northern Territory, South and Western Australia 7" Click here for a picture by Eric Pianka.
E. douglasi Kimberley Crevice Skink/ Douglas' Skink Western Australia 10"  
E. formosa Goldfields Crevice Skink/ Western Tree Skink Western Australia 7½"  
E. frerei Major Skink New South Wales and Queensland; New Guinea 16" Click here for a picture of E. frerei.
E. guthega   Australia (NSW and Victoria) SVL 11cm Named in 2003: see Swan and Wilson and the EMBL database entry. 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.
E. hosmeri Hosmer's (Spiny-Tailed) Skink Northern Territory and Queensland ?" ?
E. inornata (Unadorned) Desert Skink All Australia except Tasmania 6½"  
E. kingii
 		King's Skink Western Australia and offshore islands 16-18"  
E. kintorei Great Desert Skink/ Kintore's Skink Northern Territory, South and Western Australia 16"  
E. luctuosa
 (Western) Mourning Skink Western Australia 10-14"  
E. major Land Mullet New South Wales and Queensland 24-26"  
E. margaretae Centralian-/Flinders Ranges Rock Skink Northern Territory and Southern Australia 8.5" Click here for a picture.
E. m. margaretae Margaret's Rock Skink
E. m. personata Flinders Ranges Rock Skink
E. mcpheei Eastern Crevice Skink/McPhee's Skink New South Wales and Queensland ?"  
E. modesta Eastern Ranges Rock Skink/Scone Skink New South Wales and Queensland 10"  
E. montana   Australia (NSW and Victoria) SVL 11cm Named in 2003: see Swan and Wilson and the EMBL database entry. 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.
E. 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.
E. m. multiscutata Insular Many-scaled Skink Greenly Island, South Australia ?"
E. m. bos Southern Many-Scaled Skink Victoria, South and Western Australia ?"
E. napoleonis
 		South Western Crevice Skink SW Western Australia (coastland and adjacent hinterland) 11-12" /.
E. obiri
 		Arnhem Land Rock Skink Northern Territory? ?" This species is included for completeness although it seems no longer to be recognised as valid, since I was only able to find it listed on one website. It was apparently first designated by Wells and Wellington in 1985.
E. pilbarensis Pilbara (Crevice) Skink Western Australia 11-12"  
E. pulchra South Western Rock Skink Western Australia ?" Both subspecies have a fairly limited range.
E. p. pulchra Werner's Skink Islands off Jurien Bay, W Australia ?"
E. p. longicauda Jurien Bay Skink SW Western Australia ?"
E. richardi Bright Crevice Skink/Richard's Skink Northern Territory 8" Possibly synonymous with, or a subspecies of, E. carinata (Cogger).
E. rugosa Yakka Skink Queensland 16"  
E. saxatilis Black Rock Skink/Black Crevice Skink New South Wales, Victoria ?" The distribution of E. s. saxatilis is restricted to the Warrumbungle Mountains within the given range.
E. s. saxatilis Warrumbungles Rock Skink ?"
E. s. intermedia Black Rock Skink ?"
E. slateri Centralian Floodplains Desert Skink Northern Territory and Southern Australia, possibly Queensland ?"  
E. s. slateri Slater's Skink S Northern Territory ?"
E. s. virgata Saltbush Skink N Southern Australia ?"
E. stokesii Stoke's/Gidgee/ Spiny-Tailed Skink All Australia except Victoria and Tasmania 9½-10"  
E. s. stokesii Houtman Abrolhos Gidgee Skink Houtman Abrolhos, West Australia  
E. s. aethiops Baudin Island Gidgee Skink Baudin Island, Shark Bay, West Australia  
E. s. badia Western Gidgee Skink W Australia  
E. s. zellingi Eastern Gidgee Skink E Australia  
E. striata Nocturnal Desert Skink Northern Territory, South and Western Australia ?" Click here for a picture by Eric Pianka.
E. striolata

 

Tree Skink All Australia except southern regions 8½-9"  
E. whitii White's Skink Australia 10" Possibly 2-3 subspecies, but the non-nominate form E. w. tenebrosa is disputed. The other is E. w. moniligera.
E. w. whitii Australia except Western and Northern Territory  
E. w. moniligera Coastal and adjacent areas north of Nowra, New South Wales  

Bibliography

Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th Edition, Harold Cogger. Complete encyclopedia of the herpetofauna of Australia and its outlaying islands, including descriptions of scalation and habitat, etc. Very well illustrated.

A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Steve Wilson and Gerry Swan, Reed New Holland, Sydney, 2003. Somewhat less detailed than Cogger but still covers the most useful identifying characteristics of the genera and species, and certainly more portable!

Skinks, Jerry G Walls, TFH 1996.

Links

Mick Clemson has a nicely informative page with photographs for Egernia cunninghami, as well as other Australian skinks and snakes.


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