Whitaker’s skink

Description

A medium-sized and rather attractively marked lizard,Whitaker's skink has a long body,short but well-developed limbs,and smooth scales.The back is yellowish-tan in colour,with many small,irregularly scattered black and yellowish flecks,while the sides are dark chocolate brown,with yellowish blotches,from the ear to the hindlimbs.The underside of the body is yellowish-orange,with darker flecks along the sides,and the throat is grey and speckled The limbs are marked with irregular yellow and brown blotches on the outer surface,and have a pinkish orange inner surface,with a few darker blotches.A white 'tear drop',edged in black,extends below the eye Previously classified within the genus Cyclodina,recent molecular evidence suggests that Whitaker's skink,together with all native New Zealand skinks,should be placed within a single genus,Oligosoma.