Ctenotus leonhardii

File:Ctenotus_leonhardii.png

Leonhardi's ctenotus is a small, slender terrestrial skink.{{Cite web |title=Species: Ctenotus leonhardii (Leonhardi's Ctenotus) |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:53856a0c-89d2-4753-9755-ff270ab45d24 |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=bie.ala.org.au |language=en-AU}} This species is typically brown to ochre-brown above, sometimes with a dark brown stripe running down the vertebral row of dorsal scales.{{Cite book |last=Cogger |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Cogger |title=Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition |location=Clayton, Victoria, Australia |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-643-10978-0}} xxx + 1,033 pp. There are pale stripes running from the eyes down to the tail on either side, often with a dark brown edge above. Below this stripe is a darker, sometimes black lateral stripe with a complex pattern of white spots over the top.{{Cite journal |last1=Rabosky |first1=Daniel L. |author1-link=species:Daniel L. Rabosky |last2=Talaba |first2=Amanda L. |author2-link=species:Amanda L. Talaba |last3=Donnellan |first3=Stephen C. |author3-link=Steve Donnellan (scientist) |last4=Lovette |first4=Irby J. |author4-link=species:Irby J. Lovette |date=2009 |title=Molecular evidence for hybridization between two Australian desert skinks, Ctenotus leonhardii and Ctenotus quattuordecimlineatus (Scincidae: Squamata) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790309002553 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |language=en |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=368–377 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.06.020 |pmid=19580879 |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription }} From the groin there is a pale cream stripe running towards the flanks, with a series of white spots near the arms and a continuing pale lateral stripe down the length of the tail. Like all other Ctenotus species, Leonhardi's ctenotus has four limbs, five digits on each limb, and smooth scales, with a distinctive row of small scales near the ear.{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Ctenotus – Australian Lizards |url=https://australian.museum/learn/animals/reptiles/ctenotus-australian-lizards/ |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=The Australian Museum |language=en}}

Leonhardi's ctenotus adults can grow to a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of {{cvt|7.9|cm|in}},{{Cite journal |last=Read |first=J. L. |date=1998 |title=The ecology of sympatric scincid lizards (Ctenotus) in arid South Australia |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=ZO97063 |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=46 |issue=6 |pages=617 |doi=10.1071/ZO97063 |issn=0004-959X|url-access=subscription }} weighing on average {{cvt|9.14|g|oz}}. Males and females grow to a similar size, unlike many other Ctenotus species which demonstrate sexual dimorphism. Leonhardi's ctenotus is one of the slower growing Ctenotus species, reaching maturity at 18 months.{{Cite journal |last=James |first=Craig D. |author-link=species:James Craig |date=1991 |title=Growth Rates and Ages at Maturity of Sympatric Scincid Lizards (Ctenotus) in Central Australia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1564586 |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=284–295 |doi=10.2307/1564586|jstor=1564586 |url-access=subscription }} Juveniles grow at a rate of {{cvt|0.22|mm|in}} per day from hatching and commonly live for 5 years, though the oldest recorded specimen was 7 years old.

Leonhardi's ctenotus was named after German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi by herpetologist Richard Sternfeld in 1919.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Ctenotus leonhardii, p. 155). The species is in the Scincidae family (skinks), belonging to the genus Ctenotus. In the past this genus was included within the genus Sphenomorphus, before being raised to generic status in 1964. Ctenotus species are commonly called "comb-eared skinks" due to the shape of the small scales near the ear. Ctenotus is one of the largest genera of lizards in Australia, containing nearly 100 species. It is one of the most abundant genera of lizards in arid and semi-arid Australia, and one of the most diverse genera of terrestrial vertebrates globally. Ctenotus is further divided into a number of species groups that are based on morphological similarity and which include the Ctenotus leonhardii group, to which Leonhardi's ctenotus belongs.{{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=Max |author1-link=species:Max King |last2=Horner |first2=Paul |author2-link=species:Paul Horner |last3=Fyfe |first3=Greg |author3-link=species:Greg Fyfe |date=1988 |title=A new species of Ctenotus (Reptilia: Scincidae) from central Australia, and a key to the Ctenotus leonhardii species group |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/p.271276 |journal=The Beagle: Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=147–153 |doi=10.5962/p.271276 |s2cid=133456928 |issn=0811-3653|doi-access=free }}

Leonhardi's ctenotus is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of central Western Australia, the lower half of the Northern Territory, northern South Australia, south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales. It is a common species in these regions, often seen basking in the sun in the morning in open areas.

Leonhardi's ctenotus has been found in a range of arid habitat types including open grasslands, sandplain deserts dominated by spinifex, and semi-arid shrublands. It is particularly abundant in acacia and chenopod-dominated shrublands and prefers habitats with grassy groundcover. Spinifex tussocks provide protection from predators, harsh environmental conditions and an abundant supply of insects.{{Citation |last=Pianka |first=Eric R. |title=Diversity and adaptive radiations of Australian desert lizards |date=1981 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8629-9_50 |work=Ecological Biogeography of Australia |series=Monographiae Biologicae |volume=41 |pages=1375–1392 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-8629-9_50 |isbn=978-94-009-8631-2 |access-date=2022-06-17|url-access=subscription }} Within chenopod-dominated ecosystems, this species has been found to be significantly associated with high densities of Maireana species. It is a burrowing skink and shelters in burrows with at least two entrances.

Like many other lizards, Leonhardii's ctenotus is able to survive in harsh desert environments due to the use of ectothermy which allows metabolic inactivity to occur in harsh conditions (i.e. aestivation). However, unlike some other lizard species Leonhardi's ctenotus is diurnal and active during the hottest hours of the day As a result, it has the highest active body temperature recorded for any skink species.

The home range of Leonhardi's ctenotus ranges from 20-60 square meters (215–646 square feet), similar to the home range size for other Ctenotus species. Leonhardi's ctenotus is carnivorous, with a generalist insectivore diet. It is an active forager, foraging within the open spaces between grasses and other groundcover plants for prey. The majority of foraging occurs around midday, with the bulk of the diet being made up of cockroaches, spiders, grasshoppers, silverfish, beetles, weevils, and the larvae of moths and butterflies.{{Cite journal |last=James |first=Craig D. |date=1991 |title=Temporal variation in diets and trophic partitioning by coexisting lizards (Ctenotus: Scincidae) in central Australia |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00323768 |journal=Oecologia |volume=85 |issue=4 |pages=553–561 |doi=10.1007/bf00323768 |pmid=28312503 |s2cid=5687047 |issn=0029-8549|url-access=subscription }} Unlike most other Ctenotus species, Leonhardi's ctenotus rarely eats termites but will when other prey are scarce.{{Cite journal |last1=Schlesinger |first1=Christine A. |last2=Christian |first2=Keith A. |last3=James |first3=Craig D. |last4=Morton |first4=Stephen R. |date=2010 |title=Seven lizard species and a blind snake: activity, body condition and growth of desert herpetofauna in relation to rainfall |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=ZO10058 |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=58 |issue=5 |pages=273 |doi=10.1071/ZO10058 |issn=0004-959X|url-access=subscription }} Major native predators of Leonhardi's ctenotus include Gould's goanna (Varanus gouldii) and the rusty desert monitor (Varanus eremius). High densities of introduced predators like foxes have also been associated with lower recapture success in mark-recapture surveys of Leonhardi's ctenotus, suggesting predation by this species.{{Cite journal |last1=Read |first1=John L. |last2=Kovac |first2=Kelli-Jo |last3=Brook |first3=Barry W. |last4=Fordham |first4=Damien A. |date=2012 |title=Booming during a bust: Asynchronous population responses of arid zone lizards to climatic variables |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1146609X11001366 |journal=Acta Oecologica |language=en |volume=40 |pages=51–61 |doi=10.1016/j.actao.2011.09.006|url-access=subscription }}

Densities of Leonhardi's ctenotus have been found to be negatively associated with increased rainfall, with peak densities occurring during prolonged dry periods. However, individual body condition has been found to deteriorate in dry years compared to years with higher rainfall. Leonhardi's ctenotus is often sympatric with numerous other Ctenotus species in the arid zones, with up to 14 species from this genus sometimes co-occurring in one area.

Leonhardi's ctenotus reproduces by sexual reproduction.{{Cite journal |last1=Mesquita |first1=Daniel O. |author1-link=species:Daniel Oliveira Mesquita |last2=Colli |first2=Guarino R. |author2-link=species:Guarino Rinaldi Colli |last3=Costa |first3=Gabriel C. |author3-link=species:Gabriel Correia Costa |last4=Costa |first4=Taís B. |last5=Shepard |first5=Donald B. |author5-link=species:Donald B. Shepard |last6=Vitt |first6=Laurie J. |author6-link=species:Laurie Joseph Vitt |last7=Pianka |first7=Eric R. |date=2015 |title=Life history data of lizards of the world: Ecological Archives E096-058 |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1890/14-1453.1 |journal=Ecology |language=en |volume=96 |issue=2 |pages=594 |doi=10.1890/14-1453.1 |issn=0012-9658|url-access=subscription }} Spermatogenesis, ovulation and mating occur most typically in spring,Goldberg, Stephen R. (2008). "Notes on the reproduction of four species of Ctenotus: C. leonhardii, C. pantherinus, C. quattuordecimlineatus and C. schomburgkii (Scincidae)". Herpetofauna 38 (1): 8–13. though breeding can occur anytime between October and February. The species is oviparous, laying 5 eggs on average. However, clutch size is highly variable and dependent upon environmental conditions, with no successful reproduction occurring in some years. Furthermore, clutch size is variable across different regions, with Leonhardi's ctenotus in South Australia commonly laying only 2 eggs, while the same species in the Great Victoria Desert regularly lays up to 7 eggs. Juvenile survival is often low, with only 10-30% of juveniles surviving to adulthood.

Leonhardi's ctenotus is listed as a species of Least Concern under the IUCN and is a common and widespread species within its preferred habitat.

• Sternfeld R (1919). "Neue Schlangen und Echsen aus Zentralaustralien ". Senckenbergiana 1: 76–83. (Lygosoma leonhardii, new species, pp. 79–80). (in German).
• Storr GM (1968). "The genus Ctenotus (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in the Eastern Division of Western Australia". Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 51 (4): 97–109. (Ctenotus leonhardii, new combination, p. 102).
• Warburg, Michael R. (1966). "On the Water Economy of Several Australian Geckos, Agamids, and Skinks". Copeia 1966 (2): 230–235. (Sphenomorphus leonhardii, new combination).
• Wilson S, Swan G (2023). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Sixth Edition. Sydney: Reed New Holland Publishers. 680 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-92554-671-2}}. (Ctenotus leonhardii, pp. 280–281).

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leonhardii

Category:Reptiles described in 1919

Category:Taxa named by Richard Sternfeld

Category:Skinks of Australia