The coastal plains skink (''Ctenotus ora'') is a species of

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

s, found on the

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

south of

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Taxonomy

The species was identified in 2012 by researchers from

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, who were conducting a survey of biological diversity in South-western Australia. They identified ''Ctenotus ora'' as a distinct species and

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the threatened

Lancelin Island skink The Lancelin Island skink (''Ctenotus lancelini''), also known Common name, commonly as the Lancelin south-west ctenotus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the Family (biology), family Scincidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Australia. E ...

(''Ctenotus lancelini''). The binomial name ''Ctenotus ora'' is derived from the genus name ''

Ctenotus ''Ctenotus'' is a genus of skinks (family Scincidae). The genus belongs to a clade in the ''Sphenomorphus'' group which contains such genera as '' Anomalopus'' and the close relatives '' Eulamprus'' and '' Gnypetoscincus''. Lizards in the genus ...

'' meaning "comb-ear", and the Latin ''ora'' meaning "coast", "seaside" or "shore"—referring to the species' coastal distribution.

Distribution

The coastal plains skink has only been found in low numbers in a small stretch of sand dunes on the

south of

, between Dunsborough and

Mandurah Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...

. The species is threatened by residential development around the Perth coastal area, with the ''Zootaxa'' paper which described the species recommending it be considered for immediate conservation attention.

Description

The common plains skink is around 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length from snout to vent. It is dark in colour, with a continuous white

dorsolateral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

stripe.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2706609 Reptiles of Western Australia Reptiles described in 2012 Skinks of Australia Ctenotus Taxa named by Geoffrey M. Kay Taxa named by J. Scott Keogh