Family : SCINCIDAE
Species : Subdoluseps bowringii
Size (snout to vent) : 6 cm
Size (total length) : 12 cm

Bowring's Supple Skink, or Garden Supple Skink, can be found in various habitats including forests, agricultural areas, gardens and parklands. Unless sunning itself, this terrestrial skink largely remains hidden under leaf litter. Though common, it is quick to move away from disturbance and is often overlooked.

The species is characterised by its small size, slender body, and tiny limbs. The dorsal surface is brownish grey, the sides speckled, and the ventral surface mottled yellow.

According to Das (2010), juveniles possess a bright red tail.

It is widely distributed, and is known to occur in India (Andaman Islands), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and the Philippines.

Figs 1 and 2 : Adult (probably male) at Pulau Semakau, Singapore. This specimen was disturbed on a rock bund; it promptly swam across a few metres of calm, mangrove water and climbed an aerial root of a Rhizophora sp.

Figs 3 and 4 : Example from Luang Prabang, Laos, which emerged during a warm afternoon to sun itself at the edge of a footpath.

Fig 5 : Example emerging from a roadside drain in Singapore; it was active beneath leaf litter, probably feeding on small insects.


References :

Grismer, L. L. (2011). Lizards of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and their Adjacent Archipelagos. Their Description, Distribution, and Natural History. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main. 728 pp.