Leonhardi's Ctenotus

About the Leonhardi's Ctenotus

Ctenotus leonhardii, known by the common names Leonhardi's ctenotus, Leonhardi's skink, and the common desert ctenotus, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sphenomorphinae of the family Scincidae. The species is found in a range of arid and semi-arid regions throughout mainland Australia. Named after German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi in 1919, it belongs to the genus Ctenotus, one of the largest genera of lizards in Australia.

Leonhardi's ctenotus is a small, slender terrestrial skink. This species is typically brown to ochre-brown above, sometimes with a dark brown stripe running down the vertebral row of dorsal scales. There are pale stripes running from the eyes down to the tail on either side, often with a dark brown edge above. Below this stripe is a darker, sometimes black lateral stripe with a complex pattern of white spots over the top. From the groin there is a pale cream stripe running towards the flanks, with a series of white spots near the arms and a continuing pale lateral stripe down the length of the tail. Like all other Ctenotus species, Leonhardi's ctenotus has four limbs, five digits on each limb, and smooth scales, with a distinctive... Wikipedia →