Eutropis macularia

Eutropis macularia
	on a tree trunk, in Laos
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Eutropis
Species:	E. macularia
Binomial name
	Eutropis macularia; (Blyth, 1853)
Synonyms
	Mabuya macularia (Blyth, 1853)

The bronze grass skink or bronze mabuya (Eutropis macularia) is a species of skink found in South and Southeast Asia.^[1]

Description

Physical structure: Body cylindrical, dorsal scales with 5-8 keels, ventral scales smooth; 28-30 scales round the body. A pair of dorso-lateral bands starts from above the eye till the base of the tail. As with other Eutropis species the scales are keeled.^[2]

Color pattern: Deep-brown, olive or bronze-brown in color; dorso-lateral bands light or yellow; sometimes with black spots on the base of the tail. Breeding males have orange color on the lateral side of the body. Juveniles are grey with a bronze head.^[2]

Length: Maximum: 23 cm, common: 16 cm (SVL 7 cm).^[3]

Distribution

This skink is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia (northwestern), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Type locality is Rangpur, Bengal [Bangladesh].^[1]

Impact on humans and ecology

No known human uses. Plays a role in ecosystem by eating various types of insects and otherwise.^{[citation needed]}

Threat to humans

Non-venomous and harmless to humans. May bite when handled, but is not dangerous.^{[citation needed]}

IUCN threat status

Not Evaluated (NE).^{[citation needed]}

Tail regeneration

Can break off its own tail when grabbed by predators; the tail regenerative and will grow back over time.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

Eutropis macularia eating a frog in Laos
Bronze Grass Skink
at Pocharam, Andhra Pradesh

References

^ ^a ^b Eutropis macularia at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 July 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853)". Reptiles of Madhya Pradesh. Snake Research Organization Ujjain. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
^ "Speckled Forest Skink". Ecology Asia. 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.

Annandale, N. 1909 Rec. Ind. Mus. 3: 257
Blanford, W.T. 1879 Notes on a collection of reptiles and frogs from the neighbourhood of Ellore and Dumagudem. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal xlviii: 109-116
Blyth, E. 1854 Notices and descriptions of various reptiles, new or little-known. Part I. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 22 [1853]: 639-655
Das I. 1991 A new species of Mabuya from Tamil Nadu State, Southern India (Squamata: Scincidae). Journal of Herpetology 25 (3): 342-344.
Mausfeld, P.; Vences, M. Schmitz, A. & Veith, M. 2000 First data on the molecular phylogeography of scincid lizards of the genus Mabuya. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 17 (1): 11-14

[RDB-1] Eutropis macularia at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 19 July 2014.

[MadhyaPradesh-2] "Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853)". Reptiles of Madhya Pradesh. Snake Research Organization Ujjain. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2015.

[3] "Speckled Forest Skink". Ecology Asia. 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.

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