Colorful creature found ‘basking’ in sun on uninhabited island. It’s a new species
On an uninhabited island off the coast of Australia, a “smooth” rainforest creature sat in a patch of sunlight. But the “basking” animal wouldn’t be left in peace.
A visiting scientist spotted it – and discovered a new species.
Conrad Hoskin arrived on Scawfell Island, a rugged island off the country’s northeastern coast, in 2021, he wrote in a study published Jan. 27 in the peer-reviewed Australian Journal of Taxonomy. He landed with a goal in mind.
“I went to that island in the hopes of finding some interesting reptile species,” Hoskin told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in a 2023 interview about the trip.
During his visit, Hoskin searched the island’s rainforests and noticed some unfamiliar-looking lizards, the study said. Intrigued, he caught a few and took them back to the mainland. When he compared the lizards to examples of known species, nothing matched.
Hoskin soon realized he’d discovered a new species: Lampropholis isla, or the Scawfell Island sun skink.
Scawfell Island sun skinks can reach about 4 inches in length, the study said. They have “robust” bodies with “almost no narrowing at (the) neck.” Their lower eyelids have a “transparent” window-like disc. Some adult skinks had “regrown” tails.
Males and females of the new species vary in coloring, Hoskin said and photos show. Male Scawfell Island sun skinks have “light brown” bodies with “bright orange” patches on their sides.
Female skinks also have brown bodies but no colorful patches, the study said and a photo shows.
Hoskin found Scawfell Island sun skinks in rainforest areas with “granite rocks,” such as several leaf-filled “gullies.” He also saw the lizards “basking in sun gaps on the forest floor” and searching for food.
The new species’s scientific name is the Spanish word “isla,” meaning “island,” after its native environment, the study said. So far, the new species has only been found on Scawfell Island. Hoskin searched nearby islands for the lizard but did not find it.
Scawfell Island is about 30 miles from Mackay, the closest mainland city, and is “protected within” a national park, the study said.
Previously, Hoskin also discovered a new species of gecko, which he described as a “little dragon,” on Scawfell Island. “The presence of two vertebrate endemics (native lizards) on Scawfell Island is exceptional” and “highlights the conservation significance of this island,” he wrote.
The new species of skink was identified by its DNA, scale pattern, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Colorful creature found ‘basking’ in sun on uninhabited island. It’s a new species."
