NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lowlands Plain-backed Ctenotus
Ctenotus essingtonii (Gray, 1842)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Photo of Ctenotus essingtonii uploaded from iNaturalist.
(c) Rod Lowther, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenotus essingtonii, also known commonly as Essington's ctenotus and the lowlands plain-backed ctenotus, is a species of skink. The species can be found in the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsula of North Queensland.
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenotus essingtonii; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:14:49.048938+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenotus essingtonii (Gray, 1842)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1842)
- Common name
- Lowlands Plain-backed Ctenotus
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Ctenotus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyScincidae
- subfamilySphenomorphinae
- genusCtenotus
- speciesCtenotus essingtonii (Gray, 1842)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ctenotus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Airlie Island CtenotusCtenotus angusticeps Storr, 1988 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ariadna's CtenotusCtenotus ariadnae Storr, 1969 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jabiluka CtenotusCtenotus arnhemensis Storr, 1981 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stony Downs CtenotusCtenotus astarte Czechura, 1986 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arnhem Striped CtenotusCtenotus astictus Horner, 1995 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Short-clawed CtenotusCtenotus brachyonyx Storr, 1971 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Capricorn CtenotusCtenotus capricorni Storr, 1981 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chain-striped South-west CtenotusCtenotus catenifer Storr, 1974 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brown-backed CtenotusCtenotus coggeri Sadlier, 1985 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Buff-tailed Finesnout CtenotusCtenotus colletti (Boulenger, 1896) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Darling Range South-west CtenotusCtenotus delli Storr, 1974 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fine Side-lined CtenotusCtenotus dux Storr, 1969 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tiliqua essingtonii Gray, 1842 Gray, 1842 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Ctenotus&species=essingtonii Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:327LF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.