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Centralian blue-tongued skink

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Species of lizard

Centralian blue-tongued skink
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Tiliqua
Species: T. multifasciata
Binomial name
Tiliqua multifasciata
Sternfeld, 1919
Centralian blue-tongued skink. Near Uluru, NT. 2005

The Centralian blue-tongued skink or Centralian blue-tongue (Tiliqua multifasciata) 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. This species of reptile classifies as a lizard.

Description

The Centralian blue-tongue is of a very robust build, short body and slender tail, and is among the largest 1% of species in the family Scincidae. Both the forelimb and hindlimb have five digits.

Colouring

The skink is predominantly pale brown to grey in colour with a series of nine or more orange-brown bands along the length of the body and tail. These darker coloured bands are much wider than the paler grey-brown interspaces but are at their narrowest along the mid-dorsal region of the skink. There is a distinguishing black stripe surrounding the eye and extending to just above the ear, and upper-hind areas of limbs are also black. The skink is pale cream to white on the underside.

Distribution

The geographical distribution of the blue-tongued skink lies throughout the far north-west corner of New South Wales and South Australia, and centrally throughout Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. In general, habitats include a variety of arid and semi-arid stony and red sandy spinifex vegetated areas.

Behaviour

Like many other reptilian species, the blue-tongued is a fairly sedentary terrestrial creature. It is a ground-dwelling, diurnal species and displacements are relatively short (less than 20 metres) and on average the total distance travelled each day can fall between 122 and 245 metres.

Diet

Analyses of stomach contents have shown that the blue-tongue feeds on a combination of seeds, insects, livestock dung and some vertebrate and invertebrate material such as that of bird or other reptilian remains (i.e. fragments of bone, loose feathers).

Reproduction

Along with the other five species of the same genus, the Centralian blue-tongued skink is a viviparous species – it bears between two and 10 live young in a single litter.

Threats

The geographical location of the skink sees one of its major threats to be ingestion of the invasive and toxic cane toad, but it is also under pressures from other anthropogenic processes such as fire and habitat fragmentation. However, the species is still currently listed as least concern.

References

  1. ^ Shea, G.; Ellis, R.; Oliver, P.; Wilson, S. (2017). "Tiliqua multifasciata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T109481409A109481433. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109481409A109481433.en. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. Tiliqua multifasciata at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 20 December 2016.
  3. ^ Swan, Gerry (1990). A Field Guide to the Snakes and Lizards of New South Wales. Winmalee: Three Sisters Productions Pty Ltd. p. 146. ISBN 095902039X.
  4. ^ Shea, Glenn M (2006). "Diet of two species of bluetongue skink, Tiliqua multifasciata and Tiliqua occipitalis (Squamata: Scincidae)". Australian Zoologist. 33 (3): 359–364. doi:10.7882/AZ.2006.009.
  5. ^ Cogger, Harold G. (2000). Reptiles and amphibians of Australia (6th ed.). Sydney: Reed New Holland. ISBN 1876334339. OCLC 43580360.
  6. ^ Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2003). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. Sydney: Reed New Holland. pp. 294. ISBN 187633472X.
  7. ^ Price-Rees, Samantha J.; Brown, Gregory P.; Shine, Richard (2014). "Activity patterns and movements of free-ranging bluetongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia and Tiliqua multifasciata) in the Australian wet-dry tropics". Journal of Herpetology. 48 (3): 298–305. doi:10.1670/12-256. S2CID 85826862.
  8. Price-Rees, Samantha J.; Brown, Gregory P.; Shine, Richard (2010-05-07). "Predation on toxic cane toads (Bufo marinus) may imperil bluetongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, Scincidae) in tropical Australia". Wildlife Research. 37 (2): 166–173. doi:10.1071/WR09170.
Taxon identifiers
Tiliqua multifasciata
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