Southeastern Slider

About the Southeastern Slider

Bougainville's skink (Lerista bougainvillii) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. This species is also commonly called the south-eastern slider and Bougainville's lerista. The specific name, bougainvillii, and the common names, Bougainville's skink and Bougainville's lerista, are in honour of French naval officer Hyacinthe de Bougainville.

L. bougainvillii is found in south-eastern Australia, including north-eastern Tasmania and many Bass Strait islands. Bougainville's skink has very reduced limbs and moves in a snake-like manner. The preferred natural habitats of L. bougainvillii are forest and shrubland. However, it is seldom seen, as much of its life is spent beneath leaf-litter, loose sand, and thin stone slabs.

The mode of reproduction of L. bougainvillii varies. Some populations are oviparous, but other populations are viviparous. Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. ISBN 978-0643100350.

Gray JE (1839). "Catalogue of the Slender-tongued... Wikipedia →