Bar-shouldered Ctenotus

Ctenotus inornatus

Description:

Beautiful Skink. Approximately 8 - 10 cm (3.15 - 3.94 inches) snout to vent. This guess falls into the average size snout to vent. Bigger than most I've seen, about a thumb size in thickness. The "etymology - Ctenotus: 'comb ear', referring to the comb-like projections at the ear opening." (see pic 1)

Habitat:

Laying right on the land edge of the reeds and rushes at the waste water wetlands.

Notes:

Thank you for identification Neil! I was able to creep fairly close to this lovely Skink. It seemed content enough to let me take some photos. If I remember correctly, it didn't scamper off...I ended up being the one to leave :) The following link also has a map showing the distribution up around Derby, WA: https://eol.org/pages/795238

1 Species ID Suggestions

Neil Ross 4 years ago

Bar-shouldered ctenotus

Ctenotus inornatus Bar-shouldered ctenotus (Ctenotus inornatus) at the Australian Reptile Online Database | AROD.com.au

5 Comments

armadeus.4 4 years ago

Thank you Neil. There are so many synonyms! I will have a crack at them and see if I can find anything else :D

Neil Ross 4 years ago

Hey, Liana. I agree that info on this species seems to be fairly sparse. However, check this link out as there are so many synonyms. You may have some luck finding a site with more detailed information - http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/spe... And thanks, mauna Kunzah. I've had plenty of practice researching reptiles. This skink looked unusual to me so I delved a little deeper, and also the area where it was located (the Kimberley region) made me think this might not be a common species. Any suggestion is a good start, and Liana's great photos definitely helped here to see those very subtle details. We have a lot of skinks here :-/

mauna Kunzah 4 years ago

Yes, thank you, Neil, for the ID correction!

armadeus.4 4 years ago

Thank you for the identification Neil! I agree. Sometimes the smallest thing can be the key to figuring out what it is. I can't find any information except for photos though which is disappointing but all good :)

Neil Ross 4 years ago

Lovely spotting, Liana. Bar-shouldered ctenotus images on the ID suggestion link look spot-on, and the range is perfect. Ctenotus means 'comb ear', referring to the comb-like projections at the ear opening. You can see them clearly in your first photo.