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This small, attractive
skink, measuring around 5cm from snout to vent, is an undescribed species of
the genus Papuascincus.
It possesses distinctive colouration and patterning. The body is jet black,
and is adorned with a narrow, green, continuous vertebral stripe. Another
discontinuous stripe occurs on either side of the body : these are
green-gold. The flanks are adorned with yellow-gold flecks, and the tail is
yellowish-brown. The eyes are of medium size, and the limbs moderately
slender.
Typically this skink is found basking in the sun on rocks or mossy boulders
in forest clearings.
The specimens shown here were found at the margins of lower montane forest
in the Kutubu and Gobe areas of Southern Highlands Province of PNG, at
elevations of between 750 and 1300 metres.
The geographical and altitudinal range of this species is uncertain. |
