Tropidoscincus variabilis (Bavay, 1869)

Open encyclopedia reference

The southern whiptailed skink (Tropidoscincus variabilis) is a species of skink found in New Caledonia. Tropidoscincus variabilis is a medium-sized, long-limbed and long-tailed skink with strong ontogenetic change in coloration. They are more brightly colored as juveniles. They live primarily in forests and heathlands. Mature males and females are roughly the same size, but females have longer bodies, shorter heads and limbs, and a less brightly orange venter. Females lay 2–4 eggs in summer, and young hatch in late summer. More than one year of growth is required to attain maturity. They eat a large variety of invertebrates, particularly spiders and crickets. Juveniles eat more spiders, bugs and isopods than adults.

Wikipedia contributors, Tropidoscincus variabilis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:56:12.951560+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Tropidoscincus variabilis (Bavay, 1869)

Name authority

(Bavay, 1869)

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Scincidae

Genus

Tropidoscincus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderAutarchoglossa
11. familyScincidae
12. subfamilyEugongylinae
13. genusTropidoscincus
14. speciesTropidoscincus variabilis (Bavay, 1869)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Tropidoscincus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 1,330 records assigned to Scincidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Tropidoscincus&species=variabilis 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:7CX3P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.