About Ctenotus regius Storr, 1971
Ctenotus regius, also known as the pale-rumped ctenotus, is a medium-sized skink. It is characterized by a longitudinally striped back, white-spotted sides, and a reddish-brown tail. Its body is primarily blackish brown; a white-cream lateral stripe runs from above the ear to below the eye, and white side spots sit between the longitudinal lines that span the full length of its body. On average, this species has a snout-to-vent length of 7.2 cm, and females are slightly larger than males on average. This species is endemic to Australia, with an isolated distribution covering north-western New South Wales, south-western Queensland, south-eastern Northern Territory, north-eastern South Australia, and north-western Victoria. The Atlas of Living Australia currently holds 7,697 records of the species across Australia, though some of these records may be misidentifications. Records of Ctenotus regius exist in a number of New South Wales national parks and nature reserves, including Mallee Cliffs National Park, Tarawi Nature Reserve, Mungo National Park, Sturt National Park, Kinchega National Park, Nocoleche Nature Reserve, and Yathong Nature Reserve. The pale-rumped ctenotus inhabits sandy and loamy deserts in central Australia, and takes refuge under low shrubs including saltbush (Atriplex spp.), bluebush (Maireana spp.), and nitre bush (Nitraria billardierei). While much remains unknown about the species’ relationships with its predators and prey, grey butcherbirds (Cracticus torquatus) have been observed preying on this species in Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria. The species occupies a home range, with estimated sizes ranging from 40 to 60 square metres. The pale-rumped ctenotus is an oviparous, or egg-laying, species. Females, which are on average larger than males, lay a clutch of approximately two eggs in early summer, though reproductive output varies considerably with environmental conditions. This species has a relatively short lifespan of approximately 3 years, which contrasts with other Ctenotus species such as C. leonhardii, whose recorded individuals can live up to 7 years.
