- Hemisphaeriodon
Taxobox
name = "Hemisphaeriodon"
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo =Squamata
familia =Scincidae
genus = "Hemisphaeriodon"Pink-tongued skinks are the
genus "Hemisphaeriodon", which contains some of the largest members of theskink family ("Scincidae"). They are called commonly pink-tongued lizards inAustralia , where true lizards "(Lacertidae )" do not naturally occur. As suggested by these common names, its distinguishing characteristic is a pink tongue as opposed to the blue tongue of the closely related "Tiliqua " genus.Description
Commonly known as a "pink-tongued
skink ", it is a relatively largelizard of up to 45 cm that has a slender body with a long, slender and slightlyprehensile tail about the same length as the body. The limbs are well developed with long digits and sharpclaw s. Theneck is well pronounced and thehead is relatively large, wider in males than in females. Inadult s thetongue is pink. H. gerrardii has a slate-grey to fawn dorsal ground colour with dark grey to brown or black cross bands. These bands are more pronounced in males and less so in females. There are about 20 cross bands from the neck to the tip of thetail , which run slightly backwards laterally. The ventral surfaces of H. gerrardii are white to pinkish or creamy brown and may be marbled on the cross bands. The scales are smooth and, on the head, edged with a darker colour. The tip of thesnout is dark in adults with some darker spots on the head. The limbs are spotted or streaked darkly. All juveniles are marked with pronounced black cross bands on a very light grey ground colour. There are several dark spots on their heads, especially under the eyes. The tip of the snout is light in colour and the tongue and mouth are blue. Similar species (Cogger 2000): H. gerrardii has been associated with the genus "Tiliqua " as well as the genus "Cyclodomorphus " due to their close relation (previous names: "Cyclodomorphus gerrardii" and "Tiliqua gerrardii"). "H. gerrardii" is very similar in appearance to the Eastern Blue-Tongue, "Tiliqua scincoides"; however, "H. gerrardii" has, true to its common name, a pink tongue as an adult. It is also much more slender than the "T. scincoides", having a more slender body, a much longer and narrower tail as well as a smaller head. In addition, the limbs are more developed and longer than those of the Blue-Tongues. H. gerrardii can be distinguished from the "Cyclodomorphus spp". by its relatively shorter body, longer limbs and a much broader head.Range
From
Springwood, NSW , along the eastern coastal country and eastern ranges to theCairns region,QLD Ecology and behaviour
"H. gerrardii" inhabit wet
sclerophyll forests andrainforest s as well as moist areas inwoodland s. They shelter beneath leaf litter, in hollow logs and crevices of rocks and trees and their slender bodies and limbs are an adaptation for moving in thick undergrowth. "H. gerrardii" move with lateral undulations on smooth surfaces, but hold their hind limbs close to the body and move the tail in a side-winding motion when moving through grass and when climbing on branches, using only the forelimbs. The lizards’ main diet consists ofsnail s andslug s, for which they forage duringtwilight hours and at night insummer and also during the day in cooler months. To crush the shells of snails, H. gerrardii use their large and flattened teeth in the back of the upper and lowerjaw . H. gerrardii are good climbers using their semi-prehensile tail as a supporting aid and, although only partiallyarboreal , climb trees to feed when necessary. The juveniles seem to climb vegetation more frequently to avoidpredation . When threatened, "H. gerrardii" raises its body off the ground to appear larger and flickers or vibrates its tongue rapidly similar tosnake s.Breeding biology
Courtship occurs in early spring for a period of six weeks, during which time males have been observed to fight. In
mating , the male grasps the female’s head with his jaws and mounts her. After an estimatedgestation period of 101 to 110 days, females produce large litters of 20 to 30 (largest recorded: 67) live-young in early summer. [Wilson, S. K., and D. G. Knowles. 1988. "Australian Reptiles: A Photographic Reference of Australia". Collins Australia, Sydney, NSW] Duringbirth , the female holds her hind legs close to her body, as when moving through grass, giving single births about every 30 minutes during which she moves around. The young are born curled up in a foetal membrane, which they eat after breaking free. Immediately after birth, the young start flickering their tongues. The tongue and mouth are dark blue and the ventral surface is black in juveniles, changing to pink and mauve respectively after about three months. The young are independent from straight after birth without any parental care and start feeding on slugs and snails. Age atsexual maturity is about 22 months.References
Further reading
* Cogger, H. G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney, NSW.
* Greer, A. E. 1989. The Biology and Evolution of Australian Lizards. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW.
* Healey, J. 1997. The Reader’s Digest Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlife. Reader’s Digest, Australia
* Longley, G. 1938. Notes on a pink tongued skink (Hemisphaeriodon gerrardii). Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW 1937-1938:19-21.
* Macleay, W. 1885. On some reptilia lately received from the Herbert River District,
* Queensland. The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW 10:64-68
* Mitchell, F. J. 1951. The scincid genera Egernia and Tiliqua (Lacertilia). Records of the South Australian Museum 9:275-308.
* Shea, G. 1982. Observations on some members of the genus Tiliqua. Herpetofauna 13(2):18-20
* Wilhoft, C. W. 1960. Observations on adults and juveniles of Hemisphaeriodon gerrardii in captivity. North Queensland Naturalist 28:3-4.
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