THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Scincidae  

Plague Skink
Lampropholis delicata De Vis, 1888
lam-ROH-foh-liss — DEL-ih-KAH-tah

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Native to eastern Australia. It is established throughout Hawai’i (Loveridge, 1939, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 52: 1–2; Oliver and Shaw, 1953, Zoologica 38: 65– 95; McKeown, 1978, Hawaiian Reptiles and Amphibians. Oriental Publishing Company, Honolulu, Hawai'i. 80pp; Baker, 1980, Pacific Science 33: 207–212). (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.)

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.09.06.10.28.45)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.1 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: Hawaii

Taxonomic Etymology:
A small, sleek skink known for its glossy appearance and adaptability.
Lampropholis — From Greek lampros (λαμπρός), “bright” or “shining,” and pholis (φολίς), “scale.” Refers to the skink’s smooth, glossy, or shiny scales—“shiny-scaled.”
delicata — From Latin delicatus, meaning “delicate” or “dainty.” Refers to the small size and slender, fragile build of the species.

First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1888 De Vis, Charles W. A contribution to the herpetology of Queensland. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2(2):811-826
1939 Loveridge, Arthur. A new skink (Leiolepisma hawaiiensis) from Honolulu. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 52:1-2
1953 Oliver, James A. and Charles Shaw. The amphibians and reptiles of the Hawaiian Islands. Zoologica 38:65- 95
1978 McKeown, Sean. Hawaiian reptiles and amphibians. Oriental Publishing Company, Honolulu, Hawai'i. 80pp.
1980 Baker, J. K. The rainbow skink Lampropholis delicata, in Hawaii. Pacific Science 33(2):207-212

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 16:58 CT