| Boulenger’s Speckled Skink | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Universe | Real Life | ||
| Homeworld | Earth | ||
| Intelligence | Non-sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-bsaed lifeform | ||
| Discovered | 1887 | ||
| Discoverer | George Albert Boulenger | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Reproduction | Sexual; lays leathery eggs | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Related species | Five other speckled skinks, including Oligosoma newmani | ||
| Cultural information | |||
| Alignment | True Neutral | ||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Planet | Earth | ||
| Domain | Eukaryota | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | ||
| Subkingdom | Eumetazoa | ||
| Infrakingdom | Bilateria | ||
| Superphylum | Deuterostomia | ||
| Phylum | Chordata | ||
| Subphylum | Vertebrata | ||
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata (Jawed Vertebrates) | ||
| Superclass | Tetrapoda | ||
| Class | Reptilia | ||
| Subclass | Diapsida | ||
| Infraclass | Sauria | ||
| Superorder | Lepidosauria (Reptiles with overlapping scales) | ||
| Order | Squamata | ||
| Superfamily | Scincoidea | ||
| Family | Scincidae (Skinks) | ||
| Genus | Oligosoma (Speckled Skinks) | ||
| Species | infrapunctatum | ||
| Other information | |||
| Status | Extinct | ||
| First sighting | 1887 | ||
| Last sighting | 1887 | ||
| Possible population | 0 | ||
Boulenger’s Speckled Skink (Oligosoma infrapunctatum) is an extinct species of speckled skinks formerly endemic to patchy regions of the North Island of New Zealand, from the Bay of Plenty south, and the South Island in the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson, and Westland regions. It, along with its compatriots, could be found in open forests, scrubland, and tussock grasslands from sea level to the subalpine zone.
Conservation[]
Considered to be a "complete enigma", the Boulenger's Speckled Skink has not been spotted in the over 130 years since first being described and as such is now considered officially to be extinct, as of 2019. However, it is now believed that there are actually six species of speckled skinks including Boulenger's, as well as the Alborn Skink (O. albornense), Chesterfield Skink (O. salmo) and Oligosoma newmani.
Scientists finally announced the extreme likelihood of extinction in 2019 with hopes that the announcement could lead to possible conservation efforts to save its siblings. The other species are considered to still be in gradual decline.