Ornithuroscincus Slavenko & Tamar & Tallowin & Kraus & Allison & Carranza & Meiri 2022

KEY TO SPECIES IN ORNITHUROSCINCUS

1. (a) Light yellow-white patch on occiput absent................................................................................................2

(b) Light yellow-white patch on occiput present............................................................ O. noctua –moth skink

2. (a) Frontoparietals fused....................................................................................................................................3

(b) Frontoparietals unfused...............................................................................................................................4

3. (a) Adult SVL <50 mm; paravertebrals <70; uniform olive dorsum coloration with thick bronze dorsolateral stripes............................................................................................. O. bengaun — Daga smooth-eared skink

(b) Adult SVL> 50 mm; paravertebrals> 70; dark brown to black dorsal coloration with golden striations.......................................................................................... O. shearmani — Shearman’s smooth-eared skink

4. (a) Dorsolateral stripes absent..........................................................................................................................5

(b) Dorsolateral stripes present.........................................................................................................................7

5. (a) Parietal eye spot present..............................................................................................................................6

(b) Parietal eye spot absent.................................................................... O. viridis — green smooth-eared skink

6. (a) Dark vertebral stripe absent from dorsum.......................... O. albodorsalis — white-backed slender skink

(b) Dark vertebral stripe present on dorsum............................... O. nototaenia — Setekwa slender tree skink

7. (a) Thick dorsolateral stripes (> 1 scale wide)..................................................................................................8

(b) Thin dorsolateral stripes (1 scale wide).......................................................................................................9

8. (a) Mid-dorsal field dark olive grey spotted with brown; midbody scale rows <30....................................................................................................................................... O. venemai — Brongersma’s slender tree skink

(b) Mid-dorsal field uniform light brown; midbody scale rows> 30........................................................................................................................................................................ O. inornatus — plain smooth-eared skink

9. (a) Parallel fragmented white vertical stripes on flank; venter blue (lime green in life).................................................................................................... O. pterophilus — Mount Victoria smooth-eared skink (b) Scattered white specks on flank; venter pearl white (lemon yellow or white in life)............................................................................................................................ O. sabini — Mount Simpson smooth-eared skink