NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Southern Rainbow-skink
Carlia tetradactyla (O'Shaughnessy, 1879)
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
Carlia tetradactyla, the southern rainbow-skink, is a small species of colourful lizard found in Australia.
A synonym for the species is Mocoa tetradactyla, published with a description by A. W. E. O'Shaughnessy in 1879.
Its distribution range includes the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The type locality is labelled as Queensland, but this is uncertain.
Wikipedia contributors, Carlia tetradactyla; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:56:05.339094+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Carlia tetradactyla (O'Shaughnessy, 1879)
- Name authority
- (O'Shaughnessy, 1879)
- Common name
- Southern Rainbow-skink
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Carlia
- 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
- genusCarlia
- speciesCarlia tetradactyla (O'Shaughnessy, 1879)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Carlia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Carlia caesius Zug & Allison, 2006 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carlia pulla (Barbour, 1911) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Red-sided Rainbow-skinkCarlia rufilatus Storr, 1974 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sandy Rainbow-skinkCarlia dogare Covacevich & Ingram, 1975 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Whitsunday Rainbow SkinkCarlia inconnexa Ingram & Covacevich, 1989 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Slender Rainbow-skinkCarlia gracilis Storr, 1974 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Open-litter Rainbow-skinkCarlia pectoralis (de Vis, 1885) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carlia nigrauris Zug, 2010 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-throated Rainbow-skinkCarlia rostralis (de Vis, 1885) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Elegant Rainbow SkinkCarlia decora Hoskin & Couper, 2012 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rough Brown Rainbow-skinkCarlia johnstonei Storr, 1974 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Closed-litter Rainbow-skinkCarlia longipes (Macleay, 1877) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lygosoma maccooeyi Ramsay & Ogilby, 1890 Ramsay & Ogilby, 1890 | synonym |
| Mocoa tetradactyla O'Shaughnessy, 1879 O'Shaughnessy, 1879 | 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=Carlia&species=tetradactyla 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:5XBRF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.