The slight skink (''Oligosoma levidensum'') is a

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 ...

of the family Scincidae, endemic to the far north of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

of New Zealand. The precise distribution is unknown; currently it is only known from localities in the Te Paki region of Northland. It closely resembles the copper skink, ''

Oligosoma aeneum The copper skink (''Oligosoma aeneum'') is a skink of the family Scincidae that is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Taxonomy and systematics The number of skink species endemic to New Zealand is not yet known, as advancing molecular ...

'', and was considered to be a member of this species until recently when it was described as a new species using morphological, allozyme and DNA methods (Chapple et al. 2008). ''O. levidensum'' is difficult to distinguish morphologically from '' O. aeneum'', which is probably why it had not been recognised until recently. The main distinguishing feature is the slighter overall body form of ''O. levidensum'' compared to ''O. aeneum''. The limbs of ''O. levidensum'' are reduced compared to ''O. aeneum'' and '' O. hardyi'', the other members of the ''O. aeneum'' complex.Chapple et al. 2008

Conservation status

As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the slight skink as Nationally Vulnerable under the

New Zealand Threat Classification System The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand. The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had some ...

References

* Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty (2008). Taxonomic Revision of the Copper Skink (Cyclodina aenea, Squamata, Scincidea) Species Complex with descriptions of two new species. Journal of Herpetology 42 3 pp 437 – 452. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3350579 Reptiles of New Zealand Oligosoma Reptiles described in 2008 Taxa named by David G. Chapple Taxa named by Geoff B. Patterson Taxa named by Trent Bell Taxa named by Charles H. Daugherty