Family : SCINCIDAE
Species : Subdoluseps sp.
Size (snout to vent) : up to 6.5 cm
Size (total length) : at least 13 cm

The skink illustrated here was found near human habitation adjacent to karst limestone habitat, in Krabi, southern Thailand. It was active in the midday sun.

It measures just 3 cm from snout to vent, and around 6 cm total length (with partly broken tail).

This appears to be a juvenile Subdoluseps sp., based on the description in Grismer et al (2019) of the closely-related Subdoluseps malayana which describes juveniles of that species as 'having a dark-brown to black head and nape transitioning into a dark copper-colored to dark-brown dorsum that transitions into a red-orange tail'.

For the skink shown here, a few faint, pale speckles are apparent on the anterior part of the flank near the origin of the forelimb. Its forelimbs and hindlimbs are short, as are its fingers and toes. Its body scales appear smooth to weakly keeled.

Figs 1 and 2 : Two images of a possible juvenile Subdoluseps sp. from Krabi, southern Thailand.


References :

Das, I., 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.

Grismer, L. L., Dzukafly, Z., Muin, M. A., Quah, E. S., Karin, B. R., Anuar, S., & Freitas, E. S. (2019). A new skink of the genus Subdoluseps (Hardwicke & Gray, 1828) from Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa, 4609(2), 358-372.