''Lerista frosti'', also known commonly as the Centralian slider and Frost's lerista, is a small

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Scincidae. The species is native to

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...

Taxonomy

A description of the species was presented to the

Royal Society of Victoria The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in the state of Victoria in Australia. Foundation In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being ''The Philosophical Society of Victoria'' (fou ...

in 1895 by Arthur H. S. Lucas and Charles Frost, proposing the name ''Rhodona tetradactyla''. The taxon was reassigned to the genus ''Lygosoma '' by

Frederick Robert Zietz Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

, and as the earlier binomial was

preoccupied The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

(as a synonym for '' Mocoa tetradactyla''), he named the species after Frost. The taxonomic description is historically uncertain, having been associated with a poorly resolved species group, and was revised to separate new species in 1985, newly named as ''

Lerista flammicauda The Pilbara flame-tailed slider (''Lerista flammicauda'') is a species of skink found in Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia ex ...

'' and ''

Lerista chalybura The Pilbara blue-tailed slider (''Lerista chalybura'') is a species of skink found in Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia exclu ...

'' in the northwest of Australia and ''

Lerista dorsalis The southern slider (''Lerista dorsalis'') is a species of skink found in South Australia and Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Austral ...

'' found in a southern distribution range.

Description

''L. frosti'' is a species of ''

Lerista ''Lerista'' is a diverse (~ 90 species) genus of skinks endemic to Australia, commonly known as sliders. The genus is especially notable for the variation in the amount of limb reduction. The variation ranges from short-bodied forms with la ...

'' which is distinguished by a small and slight form, eyelids that are movable, and a less distinct dark stripe at the midline of each side. The overall coloration is olive grey to brown at the upperside (

dorsally 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 ...

), perhaps displaying greenish or red-brown tones, and with two or four rows of dark dot markings extending along the back. The dark pattern begins near the ear and ends along the tail, sometimes displaying light dot or dash marks. The limbs are functional, although the forelimbs are short at less than , and each foot bears four digits. The tail is reddish brown, and the dark mid-line pattern from the ear becomes less well defined. The measured range of the snout-to-vent length (SVL) is , giving an average of . The coloration of this species has a close resemblance to another species of the genus, '' L. orientalis''.

Geographic range

''L. frosti'' is found in and around the

McDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...

in central and southern

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, Australia.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''L. frosti'' is usually sandy plains adjacent to refuge under rocks or vegetation.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * xiii + 296 pp. (''Lerista frosti'', p. 95). * Cogger, H.G. (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. . * (''Rhodona tetradactyla'', new species, p. 268). * Smith, M.A. (1937). "A Review of the Genus ''Lygosoma'' (Scincidae: Reptilia) and its Allies". ''Records of the Indian Museum'' 39 (3): 213–234. (''Rhodona frosti'', new combination, p. 230). * Storr, G.M. (1976). "Revisionary notes on the ''Lerista'' (Lacertilia: Scincidae) of Western Australia". ''Records of the Western Australian Museum'' 4 (3): 241–256. (''Lerista frosti'', new combination, p. 245). * * (''Lygosoma frosti'', replacement name, p. 217). * Wilson, S.; Swan, G. (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q3230174 Lerista Skinks of Australia Reptiles of the Northern Territory Endemic fauna of Australia Reptiles described in 1920 Taxa named by Frederick Robert Zietz