NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Caledoniscincus constellatus Sadlier, Whitaker, Wood & Bauer, 2012
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
Caledoniscincus constellatus is a critically endangered species of lizard in the taxonomic family Scincidae. C. constellatus is endemic to the northwest region of New Caledonia and the central region of New Caledonia. Adult males of the species are 46 to 57 millimetres (1.8 to 2.2 in) in length while adult females of the species are 57 mm (2.2 in) in length. Caledoniscincus constellatus has a broad pale mid-lateral stripe on its body that distinguishes it from other Caledoniscincus species with both adult sexes having a bright yellow ventral color. Caledoniscincus constellatus prefers acacia tree shrubland on coastal hills and in dense open maquis of the province Nord, New Caledonia usually of an elevation of 0 to 400 metres (0 to 1,310 ft). The loss of the acacia tree shrublands and the open maquis is resulting in the extinction of the species. The introduction of animals such as deer and domestic pigs along with increased wildfires and nickel mining also helped in the extinction of the species putting C. constellatus in critical endangerment on the IUCN Red List.
Wikipedia contributors, Caledoniscincus constellatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:21:21.029999+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Caledoniscincus constellatus Sadlier, Whitaker, Wood & Bauer, 2012
- Name authority
- Sadlier, Whitaker, Wood & Bauer, 2012
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Caledoniscincus
- 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
- genusCaledoniscincus
- speciesCaledoniscincus constellatus Sadlier, Whitaker, Wood & Bauer, 2012
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Caledoniscincus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Caledoniscincus auratus Sadlier, Bauer & Colgan, 1999 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus atropunctatus (Roux, 1913) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus austrocaledonicus (Bavay, 1869) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus festivus (Roux, 1913) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus haplorhinus (Günther, 1872) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus notialis Sadlier, Smith, Bauer & Wood, 2013 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus pelletieri Sadlier, Whitaker, Wood & Bauer, 2014 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caledoniscincus terma Sadlier, Bauer & Colgan, 1999 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- SADLIER, ROSS A.; TONY WHITAKER, PERRY L.WOOD, JR. & AARON M. BAUER. (2012). A new species of scincid lizard in the genus Caledoniscincus (Reptilia: Scincidae) from northwest New Caledonia. Zootaxa 3229: 47–57. 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:PJ8X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.