What is this SPECIES of Skink??

[bluei]

Hello Everyone,

Just wondering if anyone could help me. The kids are always catching little skinks and spiders in the creek that runs on the back of our house. Typically they catch little garden skinks that I always caught as a kid, however the other week they caught one that neither I or they have ever seen before and placed in the enclosure while I was at work (now released) and I took a photo of it. Its alot bigger than your normal garden skink and its a yellow gold and sometimes greeny colour. This one was 19cm long with an abdomen diameter of atleast 15-20mm. Heres the pic. Just curious. We live south of Melbourne if that helps. They also said it swam really good hehe =)

The image is quite dark, hopefully someones seen it before.

 

[Mork]

Me thinks Eulamprus heatwolei (Yellow-bellied water skink).

 

[mitchdiamond]

I don't know anything about Skink's but I'm guessing Eastern Water Skink.

 

[Jakee]

I think eastern water skink.

 

[Mork]

Eastern Water skink (Eulamprus quoyii) isnt found in Melb. is it? Also the easterns tend to be more coppery/gold on top and in general have a tail that is much longer than their body (NB as long as it hasn't been dropped etc).

 

[mitchdiamond]

Eastern Water skink (Eulamprus quoyii) isnt found in Melb. is it? Also the easterns tend to be more coppery/gold on top and in general have a tail that is much longer than their body (NB as long as it hasn't been dropped etc).

Like I said I don't know anything about Skink's.That's why it was a guess.

 

[Mork]

heheh nps.....i dont either which is why i asked the question I am only an egg after all

 

[cris]

could be Eulamprus Heatwolei but its looks more like it could be a E.Tympanum.
Not and eastern water skink.

 

[Mork]

Yea i was looking at E. tympanum aswell but thought they had a pale margin behind their ears?! Again not claiming to be anything remotely resembling an expert and will happily be proved wrong (altho i like to call it learning ).

 

[cris]

Yeah i just looked in a book too otherwise i wouldnt be able to spell the names either :lol:

Im not sure if the markings you refer to actually define the species, but at the same time i dont know what does.

I just googled and there are even differant sub species so i give up, its just a water skink :lol:

 

[sparticus]

I would say because of your locality it is a Eulamprus tympanum(southern water skink)

 

[Mork]

where's the species key when you need it eh? I'd settle for southern water skink aswell...was just uncertain about the absence of the pale margin behind the ear...seems to be the only distinguishing feature between the southern and the yellow-bellied for the areas they overlap in. Fell free to enlighten me anyone....are there any other distinguishing features?

 

[mitchdiamond]

What about Ctenotus orientalis?
Egernia conventryi?
Egernia striloata?
Egernia Whitii?
As Cris said Heatwolei?
That's all I can think of now.

 

[Mork]

Here's why i would say it isnt those species mitch (again this is from my limited knowledge so i may well be wrong):
E. conventryi - it doesn't have rough stripes on its back
E. striolata - not black
E. whitii - lacks the vertical bar above the forelimb
C. orientalis - lacks the vertebral stripe

Also it was found in a creek which in itself suggests a water skink. So far the viable options are Eulamprus heatwolei and Eulamprus tympanum. Both of which look very similar. Both occur in the area the specimen was found. Is there anyone who can tell us the difference between these two species? And can we tell from the photo?

 

[mitchdiamond]

I was just looking at some books and seeing what Skink's are found in that area.

 

[sparticus]

you need to get a photo from underneath the skink,to see if its belly is yellow..looking at the underside of its rear legs it does seem to display some yellow