# Id Please :)



## aj1992p (Oct 15, 2012)

Hey guy's,

I work for telstra constantly opening telstra pits ive come across frog's, snakes and lizards but this one was something i have never seen before the picture is a little blurry but i will try to describe it as best as possible.

He was really long had little legs a red belly and was a dark colour on the top he was really skirmish so didn't hold on to him for to long. Is he some sort of skink? 

At first i thought it was a little red belly i didnt see his little legs until i picked him up hehe.


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## Ezmay (Oct 15, 2012)

y would u pick him up if u thought he was a red belly????


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## aj1992p (Oct 15, 2012)

I had a pair of thick gloves on when i picked him up took them of to take the picture.  i popped him under a rock in the nearest garden.


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## Jacknifejimmy (Oct 15, 2012)

Ezmay said:


> y would u pick him up if u thought he was a red belly????



+1


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## RSPcrazy (Oct 15, 2012)

Legless lizard.


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## jordo (Oct 15, 2012)

It's very difficult to tell from that photo but from the description it's a reduced limbed skink like a Lerista or Anomalopus species.

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Here are two Anomalopus species (Which I'm tipping it to be) that should be around your area: 
Three-clawed worm-skink (Anomalopus verreauxii) at the Australian Reptile Online Database | AROD.com.au
Punctate worm-skink (Anomalopus swansoni) at the Australian Reptile Online Database | AROD.com.au


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## aj1992p (Oct 15, 2012)

jordo said:


> It's very difficult to tell from that photo but from the description it's a reduced limbed skink like a Lerista or Anomalopus species.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...



Thanks i believe it would have been the worm skink, i was extremely interested in what it was thanks for the answer jordo.


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## moosenoose (Oct 15, 2012)

Ezmay said:


> y would u pick him up if u thought he was a red belly????



Same mistake I made with a striped grass snake  Easily done.


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## GeckPhotographer (Oct 15, 2012)

Jordo I would disagree the red belly too me sounds more like Saiphos or Hemiergis, backed up by the location which is an area where Saiphos are very abundant, no Lerista occurs and Anomalopus are unlikely but possible. The really long sounds more like Anomalopus but very long is rather subjective. 

P.s. to the OP you mustn't have noticed but there's a new forum called the ID forum the forum is there just for ID's like this so your ID is not missed because it's placed in this forum. Cheers.


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## jordo (Oct 15, 2012)

Although it's blurred the belly doesn't look overly red to me and I would think skinks of all the groups mention so far would be variable enough to range from yellow to orange bellied. It does have the right body shape for a Hemiergis or Saiphos. But why wouldn't it be likely to be Anomalopus, he's within range of the two species I mentioned.

Anyway I love a good debate, especially about animal ID's, but due to the quality of the photo I'm happy to say skink species and leave it at that.

Edit: also I should trust your local knowledge as to what it's likely to be


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## vicherps (Oct 15, 2012)

jordo said:


> Although it's blurred the belly doesn't look overly red to me and I would think skinks of all the groups mention so far would be variable enough to range from yellow to orange bellied. It does have the right body shape for a Hemiergis or Saiphos. But why wouldn't it be likely to be Anomalopus, he's within range of the two species I mentioned.
> 
> Anyway I love a good debate, especially about animal ID's, but due to the quality of the photo I'm happy to say skink species and leave it at that.



Jordan I think he could have been saying that the so called red belly as in red bellied black snake (which others suggested it was earlier in the thread) would not be a red belly but infact either a Saiphos or Hemiergis however he could have been thinking of something completely different from what i said so I will let him speak for himself. I am not ruling out the possibility that it could be Anomalopus sp you mentioned although I think it is more likely a Saiphos equalis or a Hemiergis talbingoensis. But ultimately the pic is way to blurry to make a accurate id.

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## GeckPhotographer (Oct 15, 2012)

If you check the museum records A.verreauxii that far south is known from 2 very isolated records both still a fair bit further North than Western Sydney, (nearer to Newcastle). Anomalopus swansoni could possibly occur there but there aren't actually museum records for it that far south either, of course there are records much closer. 

Still S.equalis is very common in the area. Why favour a unlikely species however possible for a very very common species? 

p.s. they usually have yellow bellies not red around sydney and newcastle.


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## vicherps (Oct 15, 2012)

GeckPhotographer said:


> If you check the museum records A.verreauxii that far south is known from 2 very isolated records both still a fair bit further North than Western Sydney, (nearer to Newcastle). Anomalopus swansoni could possibly occur there but there aren't actually museum records for it that far south either, of course there are records much closer.
> 
> Still S.equalis is very common in the area. Why favour a unlikely species however possible for a very very common species?
> 
> p.s. they usually have yellow bellies not red around sydney and newcastle.



I noticed that with verreauxii. Just a question do you think that there is a possibility verreauxii could be found further south. I accepted the possibility because in previous posts I had been told that distribution isn't that reliable but then again given the isolated population a fair bit further south it might be the southern area of its distribution. Anyway Stephen what's your opinion?
Could be a similar circumstance for swansoni.

Also thought I might say the first poster said that he/she thought it might be a red belly. And I know that Hemiergis or Saiphos don't have red bellies or at least I think.


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## GeckPhotographer (Oct 15, 2012)

> I noticed that with verreauxii. Just a question do you think that there is a possibility verreauxii could be found further south. I accepted the possibility because in previous posts I had been told that distribution isn't that reliable but then again given the isolated population a fair bit further south it might be the southern area of its distribution. Anyway Stephen what's your opinion?



My opinion is the two records that far south are questionable but possible.



> Also thought I might say the first poster said that he/she thought it might be a red belly. And I know that Hemiergis or Saiphos don't have red bellies or at least I think.



Hemiergis and Saiposh both have bellies ranging from yellow to dark orange-red in colour, Anomalopus usually have paler belly markings.




> Also I thought it was possible that swansoni occurs within the area is it to far south?


No where near to far south, it's quite possible, but it would be the furthest south museum record by almost 50km. (Which is a pitifully small increase in distribution increase).



I'm just saying could be Anomalopus, but Saiphos is super common in the area. No way to comfirm ID off that pic anyway.


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## vicherps (Oct 15, 2012)

Ok thanks is if possible for Hemiergis and Saiphos to have a full blown red belly (true red coloured) or is it really a orange colour (e.g reddish orange). Sorry for asking but I have limited exp with both species.


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## GeckPhotographer (Oct 15, 2012)

Yeah more red orange in my experience not true red.


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## $NaKe PiMp (Oct 16, 2012)

the skink in the blurry picture is Saiphos equalis, the three toed skink, the most common herp you can possibly imagine.Very common in sydney basin.


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## Bluetongue1 (Oct 16, 2012)

I am with him. Despite the crap quality of the photo, that looks to me like a typical Three-toed Skink (_Saiphos equalis_). Shiny copper coloured dorsal (often with a slightly darker head) and bright yellow-orange ventrum. Can have a dark dorsolateral band along the body and continuing onto the tail. The scales are particularly smooth and very shiny..

You can just glimpse a section of the ventrals and they do not look red but are more orange like. If it was a dark brown to coppery colour, that’s your animal. 

Blue


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