Added February 29 2004. Last updated 28 December 2009: added details for E. andamanensis, E. quadricarinata and E. tytleri, and updated E. carinata, E. macularia, E. multifasciata and E. rudis, and Bibliography.
Eutropis is the genus of those lizards formerly considered Mabuya species that are found throughout Asia.
Mausfeld et al give the characteristics of the genus as follows:
medium- to large-sized lizards with cylindrical bodies
well-developed limbs with 5 digits on both fore- and hindlimbs
medium-sized tails
cycloid scales underlaid by osteoderms (bony plates)
dorsals keeled; dorsals and ventrals similar to each other
26 presacral vertebrae
palatine bones in contact with the median; palatal notch separating the pterygoids and extending forwards to between the centre of the eyes
pterygoid teeth present; teeth relatively small and pleurodont
dorsal head scales mostly flat and subimbricate
pair of supranasals; prefrontals and frontoparietals paired or fused; nostril pierced in a single nasal; most posterior supraocular contacted by the frontal is the second; secondary temporals are separated by anteriorly encroaching tertiary temporal
ear opening relatively small, with tympanum housed in moderately deep auditory meatus
Grzimek notes that Eutropis species are often found in tropical rainforests on SE Asian islands with the species of the related genus Sphenomorphus. This is possible because both occupy somewhat different ecological niches and have different arthropod prey.
NOTES: To go to the Bibliography from a given entry, click on B: to return to the Quick Index, click on I.
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E. andamanensis, Andaman Grass Skink |
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E. bibronii, Sand Skink |
E. carinata , Keeled Indian Mabuya/Golden Skink/Many-Keeled Grass Skink |
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E. dissimilis, Striped Grass Skink |
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E. englei, Six-Striped Mabouya |
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E. longicaudata, Giant Copper Skink |
E. macularia, Bronze Grass Skink/Little Skink |
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E. multicarinata, Two-Striped Mabouya |
E. multifasciata, Golden Skink |
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E. quadricarinata, Four-Keeled Grass Skink |
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E. rudis, Brown Mabouya |
E. rugifera, Sulawesi Bronze Bush Skink |
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E. tytleri, Tytler's Grass Skink |
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Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
Eutropis |
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?? |
India |
?" |
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Andaman Grass Skink |
Andaman Islands inc. Cocos Group (Indian Ocean) |
SVL 11cm |
Fairly common species within its distribution range. Dorsal scalation: 5-7 large keels per scale. Coloration: dorsum brown; 2 rows of black spots along vertebral line; dark stripe from corner of eyes to halfway along side of body; belly yellowish cream. Reproduction: in breeding season, sides of head, neck and belly become bright red. [SOURCE: Das] B I |
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?? |
India, Sri Lanka |
SVL 5cm |
The following details are recorded from Taylor's 4 Sri Lankan specimens in 1950. Scalation details: supranasals broadly in contact; frontonasal reduced, much wider than long; postnasal absent; prefrontal broadly in contact; 6 superciliaries; height of subocular about half its length; 1 pair of nuchals; temporals smooth; eyelid with 3-4 enlarged scales; 1st pair of chinshields separated. Dorsal scalation: dorsal and lateral scales weakly keeled with 3 (sometimes 5) keels; 30-31 rows at midbody. Coloration: dorsally brown; shortish black-edged stripe from nuchals to front of arm; broad dorsolateral dark stripe running to some distance on tail, bordered above by very narrow cream line and below by cream or white line about 2½ scales wide; latter line bordered below by dim dark line; lateral cream line runs from upper lip mostly above rather than through ear; ventrally immaculate white. Taylor notes that the Sri Lankan specimens differ from Indian specimens in having a reduced middorsal line [SOURCE: Taylor] B I |
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Sand Skink |
India (Tamil Nadu) |
11½ cm TL (5cm SVL) |
Agile and active species, common in coastal sand dunes where it forages among vegetation. Scalation: dorsal and lateral scales have 5-7 keels (3 in juveniles). Other: transparent window present in lower eyelid. Coloration: dorsally brown with a black-edged vertebral stripe; white-edged black lateral stripe runs from eye to tailbase: ventrally white. [SOURCE: Daniel] B I |
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Keeled Indian Mabuya/Golden Skink/Many- Keeled Grass Skink/Common/ Brahminy Skink |
Indian subcontinent & Indian Ocean |
?" |
E. carinata basks at noon on warm blocks of stone. In coloration it is light bronze with 4-6 dorsal rows of black spots and dark lateral bands bordered by 2 narrow yellow stripes. Grzimek mentions that a subspecies has a lateral red band, but I am not certain whether this refers to E. c. lankae. The female lays 2-3 eggs per clutch in loamy soil. Das mentions the species laying clutches of 2-8 eggs in August-September, the young emerging May-June. [SOURCE: Daniel, Das, Grzimek] B I |
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?? |
India (not NW), Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka |
29cm max TL (16½cm SVL) |
The most common Indian skink, especially common in Bengal. Unusually for a skink, it is not shy of entering houses in its search for food, as well as creeping through leaf litter. It is mainly insectivorous but will also take small vertebrates. Scalation: 30-34 midbody scales, with 3, 5 or 7 keels. Other: scaly lower eyelid; 4th toe has 14-18 digital sublamellae. Coloration: dorsally shiny brown, olive or bronze, dark spots often present, flanks darker; light dorsolateral band runs from behind eye to tailbase; upper lip white; ventrally white or yellow. Reproduction: flanks of males turn scarlet in the breeding season. Ovoviviparous females give birth to up to 8 young per litter [NB I am not sure whether this invalidates Grzimek's species account above]. [SOURCE: Daniel] |
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?? |
Sri Lanka |
?" |
?? |
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?? |
India |
?" |
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?? |
Philippines (Luzon) |
?" |
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?? |
Vietnam |
?" |
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Striped Grass Skink, Striped Ground Skink |
India (not NW), Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh |
6" SVL |
Closely allied to E. bibroni. It is common in the dry western districts of its Indian range. Scalation: 2-3 keels on scales; ventral scales smooth; 32-38 longitudinal scale rows at midbody; 12-17 lamellae on 4th toe. Other: snout short; auricular opening oval with 3-4 lobules; lower eyelid with clear window. Coloration: light brown (Daniel) with 3 greenish-white stripes bordered with black line or spots; eyelids edged in yellow. [SOURCE: Daniel, Das 2015] B I |
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Six-Striped Mabouya |
Philippines (Mindanao) |
45-70mm SVL |
Specimens of this species collected by Taylor were from low vegetation and cultivated areas near the beach. The species is quite common in Mindanao. Limbs are well-developed. Scalation details [from Alcala]: 40-43 dorsal scale rows. Scales on top of head are embossed or keeled. Dorsal and lateral scales have 5-9 keels each. Coloration (in alcohol): 6 narrow, light longitudinal stripes on dorsal and dorsolateral surfaces, alternating with blackish or brownish stripes of about equal width (sometimes nearly uniform brown). Ventrally light. B I |
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E. floweri |
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Sri Lanka |
Max SVL 5½cm, TL 15cm? |
This species is not listed by the Reptile Database, either as an extant species or synonym, but is listed by other authorities. It is described by Taylor (see Bibliography). Scalation details: frontal short, equal to or slightly less than distance from tip of snout, shorter than combined length of interparietal and frontoparietals; postnasal absent; supranasals separated; prefrontals and parietals separated; first chinshields separated; 6 superciliaries; palebra (transparent eyelid) broken up into 3-4 short quadrangular scales. Dorsal scalation: most scales tricarinate, in 30 scales rows about body and 18 dorsal and lateral rows which are heavily keeled. Ventral scalation: smooth, in 12 rows. Other: well-defined swollen area on posterior of thigh, covered with large, more or less regular, pointed scales. Coloration: dorsally dull olive with metallic reflections; greenish white dorsolateral line from eye to base of tail, fading towards tail; broad brownish band from eye to groin; indistinct white line on supralabials becomes sharper behind the eye, bordering the ear and running below brown band to groin; top of head brownish; 2 rows of about 20 short transverse dorsal marks run from shoulder to base of tail; ventral surface pale with slight greenish tinge. [SOURCE: Taylor] B I |
?? |
S India |
?" |
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Philippine Ground Skink |
Indonesia (Borneo), Philippines (Panay; Palawan: Calamian Islands, Negros, Cebu) |
?" |
An inhabitant of lowland forests and mid-hills, up to 1,200m: often found in vicinity of human settlements [Das]. [SOURCE: Alcala, Das 2015] B I |
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?? |
India |
?" |
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Long-Tailed Skink, Giant Copper Skink |
S China, W Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, poss. Cambodia |
40cmTL, max SVL 14cm |
In Hong Kong, found at altitudes up to 500m and in one part coexists with Eumeces quadrilineatus. Karsen et al record it as eating earthworms as well as the usual insects. Preferred habitat in this area is dry hillsides with tall grass and large boulder outcroppings. An inhabitant of lowland forests and mid-hills, up to 500m: often found in vicinity of human settlements [Das]. Scalation details: 7 supralabials; frontoparietals in broad contact; 4th supralabial subocular; paired enlarged nuchals; many small scales around eye; auricular opening small, with or without anterior lobules; preanals enlarged. Dorsal scalation: middorsal scales slightly keeled; 28 scale rows at midbody. Coloration: overall rich- to red-brown; dark brown lateral band runs from eye to tip of tail; lips yellow with black barring; ventrally yellowish. Reproduction: lays up to 16 eggs, often in the same nesting places as those of geckos. Incubation time is 6 weeks. [SOURCE: Das 2015, Karsen et al] B I |
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Bronze Grass Skink/Little Skink/Little Ground Skink |
Indian subcontinent and SE Asia |
SVL 7½-8cm |
In India, common in forested areas, also found in plantations. Scalation: 28-30 rows at midbody with 5-9 (but never 8) keels. Other: 4th toe has 12-17 lamellae. Coloration: variable, but generally brown: spots may be present or absent; Das describes Indian species as having a bronze brown dorsum, with or without spots, sides darker, spotted with white especially in males and juveniles, brown or grey in females, belly immaculate cream. Reproduction: in breeding season males have bright red lips and flanks. Females with 3-4 eggs have been collected in June, though Das states that in Indian specimens clutches normally comprise 1-2 (usually 2) eggs, and that more than one clutch is laid annually. [SOURCE: Daniel, Das]. B I |
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E. m. macularia |
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E. m. malcomi |
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E. m. postnasalis |
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E. m. quadrifasciata |
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Two-Striped Mabouya |
Malaysia (Borneo), Philippines (Palau Islands), Taiwan (Lanyu) |
50-85 mm SVL |
Similar to, but smaller than, E. multifasciata, with which it coexists in some areas and shares the same microhabitats and is behaviourally similar. Limbs are well-developed. The eardrum is sunk and the ear opening moderate. Scalation details [from Alcala]: 38-45 dorsal scale rows. Scales on top of head are embossed or keeled. Dorsal and lateral scales are keeled, usually with 5-7 keels each. Coloration: overall brown. There may be 2 light longitudinal stripes on each side running from the head to the base of the tail, with a dark band between them: in most individuals the dark bands disappear behind the forelimbs and the white stripes are only discernible on the neck and sometimes a little beyond on the body. Alcala notes that the stripes and bands may not be discernible in specimens preserved in alcohol. Ventrally lighter. Reproduction: females lay 2 eggs per clutch in rotting vegetation. Sexual maturity is reached in about 7 months: in nature the species is one of the shorter-lived Mabuya, reaching 2½-3 years. B I |
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E. m. multicarinata |
?? |
?" |
?? |
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E. m. borealis |
?? |
Philippines (inc. Luzon and Cebu islands) |
?" |
?? |
Golden Skink, Common Mabouya, Common Sun Skink |
India (extreme northeast and Bay Islands), China, SE Asia, Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea |
11-14cm SVL |
Very widely distributed skink that is often seen in the pet trade. Oddly for such a cosmopolitan species there seem to be no subspecies. Click here for experiences with E. multifasciata as a pet, and here for John Sullivan's photographs. In the Philippines it is the most common Eutropis species and is widely distributed from sea level to about 1,333m [Alcala]. It is diurnal and also basks, so is easily observed. Hiding or resting places are under tree bark, in tree holes or under logs or piles of rotting vegetation. It also shelters during inclement weather. In India it is also found in disturbed habitat including around human settlements. Diet is mainly insects. Limbs are well-developed. The eardrum is sunk and the ear opening large and not covered with scales. Scalation details [from Alcala]: 42-48 dorsal scale rows. Scales on top of head are smooth. Dorsal scales are weakly keeled with 3 (sometimes 4) keels each. Coloration: overall olive brown. Juveniles and mature females have scattered lateral scales with black and white edges: males lack these but have a coloured stripe (reddish [Alcala] or orange in my own experience) on the side of the neck and on the anterior part of the body. Ventrally light. Reproduction: females give birth to 2-7 (Das states 2-10) live young. Sexual maturity is reached in about 1 year. [SOURCES: inc. Das] B I |
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?? |
India |
?" |
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Nine-Keeled Ground Skink |
India (Sundas), Thailand, Burma |
?" |
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?? |
Bhutan |
?" |
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Four-Keeled Grass Skink, Four-Keeled Ground Skink |
NE India (Assam), Myanmar (Burma) |
SVL 5cm |
A "little known skink" [Das]. Dorsal scalation: 4 keels on each scale. Coloration: dorsum overall olive brown, uniform or with longitudinally arranged small black spots; laterally, dark lines may be present or absent; belly and upper lip cream. [SOURCE: Das] B I |
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E. quinquecarinata |
Five-Keeled Ground Skink |
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Black-Banded Ground Skink |
India (Nicobar Islands), Indonesia (inc. Borneo, Java and Sumatra), Philippines (Sulu Archipelago) |
85-115 mm SVL |
Alcala considered this to be a rare species in 1986. It is found on the forest floor. The eardrum is sunk and the ear opening large. Scalation details [from Alcala]: 34-38 dorsal scale rows. Scales on top of head are embossed or keeled. Dorsal and dorsolateral scales are keeled, sometimes 4-5 keels each. Coloration: dorsally and laterally russet brown to dark brown: scales may have black flecks that sometimes form longitudinal lines. Ventrally yellowish except for head and throat which are bluish with black flecks. Reproduction: clutches of 2-4 eggs [Das]. SOURCES: Alcala, Das] B I |
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Sulawesi Bronze Bush Skink, Rough-Backed Grass Skink, Red-Throated Ground Skink |
India (Nicobar Islands), S Thailand, W Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (inc. Borneo, Java and Sumatra) |
SVL 7cm |
In the Nicobar Islands this is a forest dweller in hilly areas. Dorsal scalation: 5 (sometimes 7) keels per scale. Coloration: dorsum greenish-brown, with 5-7 longitudinal white stripes that may be broken into spots; belly greenish-cream; throat dark spotted. Reproduction: males in breeding season have bright red coloration on sides of throat. [SOURCE: Das] B I |
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?? |
India |
?" |
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Tytler's Grass Skink |
India (Andaman Islands) |
SVL 15cm |
Found in lowland rainforest. Dorsal scalation: 3 keels per scale, of which the central keel is the weakest. Other: robust body; head large; adults have swollen cheeks. Coloration: dorsum bronze brown, uniform or with darker spots; belly greenish-cream. [SOURCE: Das] B I |
Echsen [Lizards] 2, Manfred Rogner, Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994. Lists a few representative Mabuya species with useful details on husbandry of captives.
"Phylogenetic affinities of Mabuya atlantica, Schmidt 1945, endemic to the Atlantic Ocean archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (Brazil): Necessity of partitioning the genus Mabuya Fitzinger 1826 (Scincidae: Lygosominae)", Patrick Mausfeld, Andreas Schmitz, Wolfgang Böhme, Bernhard Mishof, David Vrcibradic and Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha, Zoologischer Anzeiger 241 (2002), 281-293. Contains details of the DNA analysis which led to the conclusion that the genus Mabuya should be split, and of the new genera subsequently created. My thanks to Dr Schmitz for kindly sending me a copy of this paper.
Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna. Volume X, Amphibians and Reptiles, Prof. Angel C Alcala, Natural Resources Management Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources and University of the Philippines, 1986. Very useful field guide to the herps of this area, which is usually under-represented in literature. One slight drawback is that the photographs are black-and-white and the descriptions of colour for many species are drawn from preserved specimens: otherwise this book is to be recommended if you can obtain a copy.
Ceylonese Lizards of the Family Scincidae, Edward H Taylor, University of Kansas Science Bulletin, Vol XXXIII, Pt. II, March 20 1950.
The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians, J C Daniel, Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002.
A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India, Indraneil Das, New Holland UK, 2008. Handy pocket-sized guide to about half of India's reptile species.
Hong Kong Amphibians and Reptiles, Stephen J Karsen, Michael Wai-Neng Lau, Anthony Bogadek, Urban Council, Hong Kong 1986. Useful little guide to the herpetology of the area.
Skinks, Jerry G Walls, TFH 1996. Contains useful basic husbandry tips.
Keeping and Breeding Lizards, Chris Mattison, Blandford Press. Also contains useful husbandry tips.
Animal Life Encyclopedia Volume 6: Reptiles, Grzimek,1975.
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