Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink ( Egernia hosmeri), also known Common name as Hosmer's egernia and Hosmer's skink, is a species of large skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is a Diurnality, rock-dwelling species native to Northern Australia.
Etymology
The specific name,
hosmeri, is in honour of Australian herpetologist .
[; ; (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ( Egernia hosmeri, p. 126).]
Description
Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink is mostly reddish-brown on top, with both scattered darker and paler spots along the back, legs, and tail. It has a darker brown head and neck, white abdomen, and a few dark brown blotches under the chin. The snout-to-vent (SVL) is , with a round, tapering tail about 60% of the SVL.
It is most closely related to Cunningham's spiny-tailed skink (
Egernia cunninghami), however the tail of
E. hosmeri is flattened and spinier than that of
E. cunninghami.
[ ( Egernia hosmeri, new species, p. 286 + Plate XIV).]
Geographic range
Hosmer's spiny-tailed skin is found throughout dry, rocky regions of
Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat of
E. hosmeri is rocky areas.
Behaviour
E. hosmeri is terrestrial.
Reproduction
Like some other reptiles,
E. hosmeri is
Viviparity, giving birth to an average of four live young at a time.
Diet
Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink is
Omnivore, eating insects, leaves, shoots, and berries.
Further reading
-
; ; Donnellan, Stephen C. (2011). "Revision of the Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skinks ( Egernia depressa species-group) from Western Australia, with descriptions of three new species". Records of the Western Australian Museum 26: 115–137.
-
; (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
