Emoia atrocostata

Emoia atrocostata, commonly known as the littoral whiptail-skink, mangrove skink, or littoral skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It inhabits mangroves, back-beach vegetation and rocky shorelines.^[2] It is semi-aquatic and forages in tidal pools.^[3][4]

Emoia atrocostata
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Emoia
Species:	E. atrocostata
Binomial name
Emoia atrocostata (Lesson, 1830)
Synonyms
Scincus atrocostatus Lesson, 1830 Eumeces freycinetii Duméril & Bibron, 1839 Mocoa cumingi Gray, 1845 Euprepes bitaeniatus Peters, 1864 Mabouya jerdoniana Stoliczka, 1870 Eumeces singaporensis Steindachner, 1870 Euprepes parietalis Peters, 1871 Euprepes microstictus Peters, 1874 Mabouia marmorata Macleay, 1877 Mabouia irrorata Macleay, 1877 Eumeces serratus Fischer, 1886 Lygosoma sinus Smith, 1929 Lygosoma buergersi Vogt, 1932 Papuascincus buergersi (Vogt, 1932) Emoia manni Brown, 1948

Description

The species can be distinguished from the similar many-lined sun skink by the lack of keeled scales on the dorsal surface of the Mangrove Skink. Its colour is grey or brown-grey, flecked with black. There is a faint black band along each side. The throat is often bluish, and the belly greenish or yellow to orange.^[5]

Distribution

E. atrocostata can be found on the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and in Queensland, Australia.