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Family : SCINCIDAE
Species : Sphenomorphus maculatus
Size (snout to vent) : 6.7 cm
Size (total length) : up to 18.7 cm ?
Sphenomorphus maculatus
(Streamside Skink; also 'Spotted Forest Skink' or 'Maculated Forest Skink')
inhabits the vicinity of streams and small rivers in lowland and hilly
areas. It can be found foraging amongst rocks and vegetation right at the
waters edge.
In some locales this skink may venture further afield, for example the
specimen shown in Figure 2 was around 30 metres from the nearest stream, on
the tiled floor of an open-air restaurant.
Its diet comprises insects and other
invertebrates.
This skink can be identified by the broad, dark stripe which extends from the
snout, through the eye, along the entire length of the body and to the tip
of the tail. This stripe is adorned with pale speckles. On the flanks,
beneath the dark stripe, is a mottled zone comprising yellowish and brown
spots.
The upperside of the head, body and tail is brown, with smooth scales, and
faint darker markings. The throat and belly are pale and immaculate.
Sphenomorphus maculatus occurs in parts of Nepal, eastern India and southern
China, to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and
possibly northernmost parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
Fig 1 : Tentative
example from Nong Khiaw, Laos, photographed around 10-15 metres from a
stream. The dorsum appears more pale than most forms in the region, and
there is just a faint lateral stripe on
the tail. Photo thanks to Derek Clark.
Fig 2 : Example from Khao Yai, Thailand at an elevation of around
750 metres. It was around 30 metres from the nearest stream on the floor of
a restaurant, perhaps drawn there by the presence of insects.
Fig 3 : Stream habitat at Khao Yai, Thailand, slightly swollen and silty
with recent rain.
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.
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