Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus
(Wiegmann, 1834)
KRIP-toh-BLEF-ah-rus — PEE-sih-loh-PLUR-us
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Native to many Pacific islands. It is established throughout Hawai’i (Stejneger, 1899, Proceedings of the United States National Museum 21: 783–813; McGregor, 1904, Proceedings of the United States National Museum 28: 115–118; McKeown, 1996, A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Incorporated, Los Osos, California; Alvarez et al., 2023, Pacific Science 77: 87–101).
(Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
(, Museum Voucher)
(, Observation)
(, Literature Record),
(, Citizen Science),
( Fossil)
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Occurrences:; 576 Total; 501 Museum; 75 Other
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Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH. - (Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.09.06.10.08.49)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.11 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Hawaii
Taxonomic Etymology:
A smooth-eyed skink with variegated scale patterning.
Cryptoblepharus — From Greek kryptos (κρυπτός), “hidden,” and blepharon (βλέφαρον), “eyelid.” Refers to the lack of movable eyelids, which are fused and transparent—“hidden eyelid.”
poecilopleurus — From Greek poikilos (ποικίλος), “variegated,” and pleura (πλευρά), “side.” Means “variegated sides” or “mottled-flanked,” describing the skink’s patterned flanks.
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1899
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Stejneger, Leonhard H. The land reptiles of Hawaiian Islands. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 21(1174):783-813
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1904
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McGregor, Richard C. Notes on Hawaiian reptiles from the island of Maui. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 28(1383):115-118
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1996
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McKeown, Sean. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc., Los Osos, California. pp.
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2001
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Bauer, Aaron M. and Kraig Adler. The dating and correct citation of A. F. A. Wiegmann’s
“Amphibien” section of Meyen’s Reise um die Erde,
with a bibliography of Wiegmann’s herpetological
publications. Archives of Natural History 28(3):313–326
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2023
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Alvarez, V., Fisher, S. R., Barley, A. J., Donmoyer, K., Blom, M. P., Thomson, R. C., and Fisher, R. N. On the origin and current distribution of the Oceania Snake-Eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus) in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Pacific Science 77(1):87-101
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