NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Chevron skink
Oligosoma homalonotum (Boulenger, 1906)
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 chevron skink (Oligosoma homalonotum; Māori: niho taniwha) is a large species of skink that is endemic to New Zealand. Previously found across Northland and the northern Auckland Region, it is now found only on the Great Barrier and Little Barrier islands in the Hauraki Gulf. A cryptic forest dweller, it can hide underwater. The chevron skink is the longest species of skink in New Zealand, reaching lengths of up to 340 mm (13 in). It is under threat from introduced rats.
Wikipedia contributors, Chevron skink; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:31:28.133184+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oligosoma homalonotum (Boulenger, 1906)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1906)
- Common name
- Chevron skink
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Oligosoma
- 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
- subfamilyEugongylinae
- genusOligosoma
- speciesOligosoma homalonotum (Boulenger, 1906)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oligosoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fiordland SkinkOligosoma acrinasum (Hardy, 1977) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Grand SkinkOligosoma grande (Gray, 1845) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hardy’s SkinkOligosoma hardyi (Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty, 2008) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Slight SkinkOligosoma levidensum (Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty, 2008) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Canterbury spotted skinkOligosoma lineoocellatum (Duméril, 1851) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| MacGregor's SkinkOligosoma macgregori (Robb, 1975) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oligosoma nigriplantare (Peters, 1874) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oligosoma northlandi (Worthy, 1991) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Otago SkinkOligosoma otagense (Mccann, 1955) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sinbad skinkOligosoma pikitanga Bell & Patterson, 2008 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Southern grass skinkOligosoma polychroma (Patterson & Daugherty, 1990) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eyres skinkOligosoma repens Chapple, Bell, Chapple, Miller, Daugherty & Patterson, 2011 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Leiolopisma gracilicorpus Hardy, 1977 Hardy, 1977 | synonym |
| Lygosoma homalonotum Boulenger, 1906 Boulenger, 1906 | 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=Oligosoma&species=homalonotum 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:49777. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.