NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western Blue-Tongued Lizard
Tiliqua occipitalis (Peters, 1863)
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 western blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis), also known as the western blue-tongued skink, is a large skink native to Australia. It is one of six species of blue-tongued skinks found in Australia, though further species are found in New Guinea and Indonesia. The western blue-tongued lizard grows to around 45 cm (18 in) in length. It has a brown, banded pattern across the body and tail; the underside of the body is usually pale. It has distinctive black markings to the rear of each eye. The body is wide and large in comparison to the size of the legs. As its name suggests, it has a blue tongue, which contrasts with the pink interior of its mouth. When threatened, it may open its mouth and stick out its tongue in a threat display. If the initial display is unsuccessful, and the predator or threat does not retreat, it may hiss and flatten out its body in an attempt to make itself look bigger. ...
Wikipedia contributors, Western blue-tongued lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:59:33.690002+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tiliqua occipitalis (Peters, 1863)
- Name authority
- (Peters, 1863)
- Common name
- Western Blue-Tongued Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Tiliqua
- 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
- subfamilyEgerniinae
- genusTiliqua
- speciesTiliqua occipitalis (Peters, 1863)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tiliqua. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Giant Bluetongue SkinkTiliqua gigas (Schneider, 1801) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Centralian Blue-Tongued LizardTiliqua multifasciata Sternfeld, 1919 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blotched Blue-Tongued LizardTiliqua nigrolutea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pinecone lizardTiliqua rugosa (Gray, 1825) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common BluetongueTiliqua scincoides (White, 1790) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Cyclodus fasciatus Lütken, 1863 Lütken, 1863 | synonym |
| Cyclodus occipitalis Peters, 1863 Peters, 1863 | 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=Tiliqua&species=occipitalis 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:56WZS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.