NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Excitable Delma
Delma tincta de Vis, 1888
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The excitable delma (Delma tincta) is a species of lizard in the Pygopodidae family endemic to Australia. The lizard gets its name from its active and jumpy defense mechanism. It will erratically jump multiple times in succession, each jump pivoting its body in a different direction. D. tincta is a slender, long legless lizard that through evolution lost its limbs. It is found throughout Australia in a variety of habitats, and spends most of its time hiding. Due to its nocturnal nature, it is rare to spot in the wild. This legless lizard is small to moderate in size, with a tail that is three to four times its body length. The typical size of the excitable delma is 250 – 300 mm. This lizard is an insectivore and feeds on insects it finds when travelling through grass, logs, surface soil, and loose rocks. Like all pygopodids, the excitable delma is oviparous and only lays two eggs per clutch.
Wikipedia contributors, Excitable delma; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:47:32.528049+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Delma tincta de Vis, 1888
- Name authority
- de Vis, 1888
- Common name
- Excitable Delma
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Pygopodidae
- Genus
- Delma
- 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
- suborderGekkota
- familyPygopodidae
- genusDelma
- speciesDelma tincta de Vis, 1888
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Delma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rusty-topped DelmaDelma borea Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Butler's Legless LizardDelma butleri Storr, 1987 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Desert DelmaDelma desmosa Maryan, Aplin & Adams, 2007 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pilbara DelmaDelma elegans Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Patternless DelmaDelma inornata Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gulfs DelmaDelma molleri Lütken, 1863 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Painted DelmaDelma petersoni Shea, 1991 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Leaden DelmaDelma plebeia de Vis, 1888 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Single-striped DelmaDelma labialis Shea, 1987 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sharp-snouted DelmaDelma nasuta Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Marble-faced DelmaDelma australis Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Javelin LizardDelma concinna (Kluge, 1974) | PygopodidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Delma reticulata Garman, 1901 Garman, 1901 | ambiguous 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=Delma&species=tincta 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:34GZM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.