LIZARDS OF THE WET TROPICS

Four-toed Litter Skink (Saproscincus tetradactyla)

DISTRIBUTION:

North-eastern Queensland, from Mossman south to Townsville.

HABITAT:

Rainforest and margins.

DESCRIPTION (from Cogger, 1992; Wilson and Knowles, 1988):

A small, medium to dark brown skink. The dorsal surface usually has a few darker brown flecks or longitudinal dashes anteriorly. A series of dark brown dashes form an obscure dorso-lateral stripe. There is a dark- brown W-shaped mark on the head and the lips are barred with whitish and dark brown. The flanks are usually darker brown than the dorsum and are flecked with paler spots. There is a distinctive, dark-edged white spot at the posterior base of each thigh. The ventral surfaces are whitish, usually with a few scattered dark brown spots. There is often a lemon-yellow flush from the chest to the base of the tail on the ventral surfaces of living adults. The lower eyelid bears a small transparent disc. SVL = 30mm.

BREEDING:

Breeding occurs during summer (the wet season) and gravid animals have been observed in January at Mossman Gorge. Clutches of two eggs have been recorded.

DIET:

Forages in leaf-litter and in damp areas such as creek margins and in the spray zones of waterfalls for invertebrates.

NOTES:

Shelters beneath stones, logs and leaf-litter. Differs from other Saproscincus in that it bears four fingers instead of five.

REFERENCES:

Cogger, H. G. 1992. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Reed Books, Sydney.

Ehmann, H. 1992. Encyclopedia of Australian Animals. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

Nix, H. and Switzer, M. A. 1991. Rainforest Animals: Atlas of the Vertebrates Endemic to Australia's Wet Tropics. Kowari, Canberra.

Torr G. A. 1993. A survey of the reptiles and amphibians of the Mossman Gorge section of Daintree National Park, Qld, pp. 75-79. In: Herpetology in Australia: A Diverse Discipline. Lunney, D., Ayers, D. (eds.). Surrey Beatty, Sydney.

Wilson, S. K. and Knowles, D. G. 1988. Australia's Reptiles; a photographic reference to the terrestrial reptiles of Australia. Collins, Sydney.

Prepared by: Geordie Torr, Dept. of Zoology, James Cook University, QLD 4811, Australia.

Geordie.Torr1@jcu.edu.au

Last updated: April, 1995.