Rainbow skink
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| Rainbow skink | ||||||||||||||
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| Lampropholis delicata (De Vis, 1888) |
The rainbow skink, Lampropholis delicata, is a skink of the family Scincidae, endemic to Australia but also accidentally introduced to and breeding in the Taranaki and Auckland regions of New Zealand.
Rainbow skinks are the only introduced reptile that has successfully established itself outside of captivity in New Zealand where they have been present since an accidental introduction from Australia in the early 1960s, and are currently well established in several regions of the North Island.
Rainbow skink dispersion is facilitated by human activity, and they are hardy enough to survive human disturbance in transit and in their habitat. Rainbow skinks encompass a wide range of habitats and are highly opportunistic. They occur sympatrically with native New Zealand copper skinks, Cyclodina aenea, and exhibit common microhabitat use. Rainbow skinks have a higher mean annual reproductive output than copper skinks.
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