Oligosoma smithi

Oligosoma smithi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Oligosoma
Species:	O. smithi
Binomial name
Oligosoma smithi (Gray, 1845)
Synonyms[1]
Mocoa smithii Gray, 1845 Lygosomella aestuosa Girard, 1857 Lampropholis smithii — Fitzinger, 1861 Euprepes smithii — Steindachner, 1869 Norbea isolata Hutton, 1872 Lygosoma smithii — Boulenger, 1887 Lygosoma (Leiolopisma) smithi — M.A. Smith, 1937 Leiolopisma smithii — Mittleman, 1952 Lygosomella smithi — Wells & Wellington, 1985 Oligosoma smithi — Patterson & Daugherty, 1995

Oligosoma smithi, commonly known as the shore skink,^[2] short-tailed skink,^[2] Smith's ground skink,^[3] Smith's moco,^[4] and Smith's skink,^[2] is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae (skinks) that is native to New Zealand.

Oligosoma smithi is small species of skink, growing to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 8 cm (3.1 in). It is well camouflaged, and may be found in a range of colours, sometimes almost black.

The species is native to the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, occurring on the eastern coast from the Aupōuri Peninsula in the north south to Gisborne. Closely-related skinks on the western shore of the North Island and the Three Kings Islands were formerly considered members of this species, but are now known as tātahi skinks (Oligosoma aff. smithi "Three Kings, Te Paki, Western Northland").^[5]

It is always found near the shoreline and prefers open areas such as around driftwood at the high tide mark.^[2]

Oligosoma smithi is diurnal (active during the day) and spends most of its time hunting or basking in the sun.^{[citation needed]} It eats insects and probably anything that moves and fits in its mouth.^{[citation needed]}

Like most New Zealand skinks, it is viviparous (reproduces by giving birth to live young).^{[citation needed]}

As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified Oligosoma smithi as Not Threatened under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.^[6]

This species was first described as Mocoa smithii by John Edward Gray. The specific name, smithi, is in honor of Gray's nephew, British naval officer Lt Alexander John Smith, who collected the original specimens in the early 1840s, and presented them to his uncle at the British Museum.^[5] After being placed in several other genera it was moved in 1995 to the genus Oligosoma, with all other New Zealand skink species.

• Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Lygosoma smithii, pp. 274–275).
• Gray JE (1845). Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Edward Newman, printer). xxviii + 289 pp. (Mocoa smithii, new species, pp. 82–83).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oligosoma smithi.

• v
• t
• e

• v
• t
• e