''Egernia stokesii'' is a

gregarious Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother was ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

of the Scincidae family. This diurnal species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and is also known as the Gidgee skink, spiny-tailed skink, Stokes's skink and Stokes's egernia. The species forms stable, long-term social aggregations, much like the social groups seen in

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

ian and avian species. This characteristic is rarely found in the

Squamata Squamata (, Latin ''squamatus'', 'scaly, having scales') is the largest Order (biology), order of reptiles; most members of which are commonly known as Lizard, lizards, with the group also including Snake, snakes. With over 11,991 species, it i ...

order, but is widespread within the Australian

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Egerniinae Egerniinae is the subfamily of social skinks within the family Scincidae. The genera in this subfamily were previously found to belong the ''Egernia'' group in the large subfamily Lygosominae. Genera The subfamily Egerniinae contains 63 species ...

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

s of ''E. stokesii'' are widely

distributed Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

, but fragmented, and occur in

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

environments. There are three recognised

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

. The

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

for the species is listed as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

, however, one subspecies is listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Description and ecology

''Egernia stokesii'' range in colour from olive to reddish brown, with lighter ventral

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

that range from white to yellow. The species often displays scatterings of lighter coloured

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

scales. The dorsal scales are keeled from the back of the neck to the tail and spiny tail scales are a prominent feature of the species. The tail is flattened rather than cylindrical, and shorter than the head and body of the animal, at approximately 35% of the snout to vent length. ''E. stokesii'' is unable to autotomize their tails. The snout to vent length of a mature adult is between 155 and 190mm. The species is slow to reach

sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans, it is related to both puberty and adulthood. ''Puberty'' is the biological process of sexual maturation, while ''adulthood'', the condition of being socially recognized ...

, generally between five and six years of age, with a lifespan between 10 and 25 years. E stokesii

The species displays complex social organisation, forming social aggregations of up to 17 closely related individuals. It has been suggested complex social organisation in the species aids in the detection of

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

and

thermoregulation Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

. These aggregations remain stable over time, with evidence of adult individuals remaining in the same social group for over five years. ''E. stokesii'' displays

philopatry Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area. The causes of philopatry are numerous, but natal philopatry, where animals return to their birthplace to breed, may be the most common. The term derives ...

, with juveniles typically remaining within the natal group until maturity. The social aggregations typically consist of a breeding pair, immature juvenile and sub-adult offspring from successive litters, and other closely related individuals. Each group has a defined home range, with several core, preferred rock or log crevices shared by group members within the home range. Each group shares a common scat pile outside these refuge crevices, and are able to distinguish group members from non-group members using

olfactory The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, it ...

chemical cues. Multiple groups may share the crevices on the margins of home ranges. The individuals within these social groups

bask Bask may refer to: * to bask, or to sunbathe * Bask, Gilan, Iran; a village * Kalle Bask, a Finnish sailor * Bask (horse) (1956–1979), an Arabian stallion * Bask Om, a fictional character from Zeta Gundam * A fictional king (and the area he ...

in close contact with one another, at times touching, and the basking sites are adjacent to crevices. The species is

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

, with the diet including

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

s such as beetles and grasshoppers, and plant material. The seeds of both native and introduced

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

species have been found in scats, such as the native ''

Enchylaena tomentosa ''Enchylaena tomentosa'', commonly known as barrier saltbush or ruby saltbush, is a small native shrub of Australia. Description ''Enchylaena tomentosa'' grows as a small perennial shrub, up to a meter in diameter. Leaves are slender and cylindr ...

'' (ruby saltbush), and the introduced ''

Portulaca oleracea ''Portulaca oleracea'' (common purslane, also known as little hogweed, or pursley) is a succulent plant in the family Portulacaceae. Description The plant may reach in height. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems, and the leaves, w ...

'' (common pig weed) and ''

Medicago minima ''Medicago minima'' is a plant species of the genus ''Medicago''. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found worldwide. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium '' Sinorhizobium meliloti'', which is capable of nitrogen fixat ...

'' (woolly burr medic). Both

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

al and

ontogenetic Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...

dietary changes have been reported in the species, with the juvenile diet consisting of a higher proportion of insects to plant matter. Adults consume a proportionally higher percentage of plants to insects, and this plant portion increases during mid to late summer. The reason for these dietary changes has not been established, although it is possible

competitive Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

pressure from juveniles following

parturition Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

, or seasonal changes in resource availability may contribute. Potential predators include mammals such as cats, foxes and dingos. Reptiles such as the

eastern brown snake The eastern brown snake (''Pseudonaja textilis''), often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. It w ...

and

monitors Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

, as well as

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

may also prey upon the species. The species uses two key mechanisms to reduce predation; the spiny tail

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

and defensive behaviours such as seldom straying far from rock crevice refuges. E_stokesii_2

Habitat and distribution

''E. stokesii'' may be saxicolous, occupying rocky outcrops, or semi-

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

, and found in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s. They are diurnal and non-burrowing, instead sheltering in rock crevices, under logs, or in tree hollows. ''E. stokesii'' is found in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, and

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Reproduction

The species is highly

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

, and there is evidence of mate selection favouring unrelated individuals with dissimilar

genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

s and high

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...

, from within the established social group. ''E. stokesii'' are

viviparous In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...

, producing between 1 and 8 young each litter. The parturition timeframe varies between one and twelve days, with an average time of 2.8 days. The size of the litter has been demonstrated to positively correlate with both the snout to vent length and

gravid In biology and medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a female has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These two terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional terms, t ...

mass of the female. The young are presented head first, and encased in membranes with a yolk sac attached. The newborn skinks or mother may consume the birth membranes and yolks sac following parturition, and

infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose being the prevention of re ...

has been observed in the species. The reported snout to vent length of newborn juveniles is between 65-95mm, with an average birth weight of 8.15g. Populations of ''E. stokesii'' in eastern Australia typically give birth annually between during the summer months of February and March, but may not produce a litter every year. A winter birth has been observed in a wild individual from Western Australia. Juveniles experience a relatively higher infant

mortality rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular Statistical population, population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically ...

in their first year, whilst adults have a low mortality rate.

Evolutionary relationships

''Egernia stokesii'', along with all Australian skinks, are grouped within the Scincidae

Lygosominae Lygosominae is the largest subfamily of skinks in the family Scincidae. The subfamily can be divided into a number of genus groups. If the rarely used taxonomic rank of infrafamily is employed, the genus groups would be designated as such, but s ...

. There are three

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

radiations of Australian skinks within this subfamily:

Sphenomorphinae Sphenomorphinae is a large subfamily of skinks, lizards within the family Scincidae. The genera in this subfamily were previously found to belong to the ''Sphenomorphus'' group in the large subfamily Lygosominae. Genera The subfamily Sphenomo ...

, Eugonylinae and

, with ''E. stokesii'' grouped in the Egerniinae subfamily, previously known as the ''Egernia'' group. The Egerniinae includes 8

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, including ''

Egernia ''Egernia'' is a genus of skinks (family (biology), family Scincidae) that occurs in Australia. These skinks are ecologically diverse omnivores that inhabit a wide range of habitats. However, in the loose delimitation (which incorporates about 3 ...

, Tiliqua'' and ''

Cyclodomorphus ''Cyclodomorphus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized skinks (family (biology), family Scincidae)."''Cyclodomorphus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. It belongs to the ''Egernia'' group which also includes the blue-tongued sk ...

,'' with 61

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

species distributed across Australia,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

Molecular systematics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

has resulted in the partitioning of the previous ''Egernia'' genus into four distinct genera: ''

Lissolepis ''Lissolepis'' is a genus of mid-sized skinks (adult snout-vent length 100–130 mm) with a bulky angular body and small eyes. 20–28 rows of midbody scales; dorsal scales smooth. The nasal scale has a postnarial groove; the subocular scale ...

(''Peters, 1872)'',

Liopholis ''Liopholis'' is a genus of lizards in the subfamily Egerniinae of the Family (biology), family Scincidae (skinks). Species of the genus are found in the Australasian realm, Australian region. They were previously placed in the genus ''Egernia''. ...

(''Fitzinger, 1843), ''

Bellatorias ''Bellatorias'' is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. Species in the genus are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. All of the species were previously placed in the genus ''Egernia''. Species The following three species, l ...

(''Wells and Wellington, 1943), and ''Egernia (''Gray, 1838)''.'' The genus ''

Corucia The Solomon Islands skink (''Corucia zebrata''), also known as prehensile-tailed skink, monkey-tailed skink, giant skink, zebra skink, and monkey skink, is an arboreal species of skink endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is the larg ...

'', endemic to the Solomon Islands, is considered the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to Australian Egerniinae. Morphological and

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

data analysed using

Bayesian Thomas Bayes ( ; c. 1701 – 1761) was an English statistician, philosopher, and Presbyterian minister. Bayesian ( or ) may be either any of a range of concepts and approaches that relate to statistical methods based on Bayes' theorem Bayes ...

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis suggests the Egerniinae began to radiate in mainland Australia approximately 35 million years ago, sometime between the late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

and early

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

s, likely as a result of climatic fluctuations between

glacial A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

periods. Of the Egerniinae, the evidence suggests the subclade ''Lissolepis'' as basal, and the earliest-branching. Depending on the method of phylogenetic analysis, the ''Egernia'' genus has been identified as a sister group to the ''Tiliqua'' and ''Cyclodomorphus''

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

, or as a

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

grouping with ''Tiliqua'' and ''Cyclodomorphus''''.'' It is suggested these three genera begun to diverge over 30 million years ago, during the Oligocene epoch.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''stokesii'', is in honour of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Admiral

John Lort Stokes Admiral John Lort Stokes (1 August 1811 – 11 June 1885) was a Royal Navy officer who served onboard for almost eighteen years.Although 1812 is frequently given as Stokes's year of birth, it has been argued by author Marsden Hordern that Stok ...

. The

subspecific name In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...

, ''zellingi'', is in honour of British biological collector Charles Weldon De Burgh Birch, Count Zelling (1821–1894). Dowe JL (2016). "Charles Weldon (de Burgh) Birch (Count Zelling), an unassuming botanical and zoological collector in central and north-central Queensland". ''North Queensland Naturalist'' 46: 16–46.

Subspecies

There are three currently recognised

of ''Egernia stokesii'', each with distinct geographic distributions: ''E. stokesii badia, E. stokesii stokesii'' and ''E. stokesii zellingi'' ''. E. stokesii zellingi'' is found in semi-arid areas of South Australia, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland. ''E. stokesii stokesii'' occurs on the islands of

Abrolhos Archipelago The Abrolhos Archipelago () are a group of 5 small islands with coral reefs off the southern coast of Bahia state in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeast of Brazil, between 17º25’—18º09’ S and 38º33’—39º05’ W. Caravelas is the ...

, off the coast of Western Australia. ''E. stokesii badia'' is found in the Wheatbelt, Murchison and

Shark Bay Shark Bay () is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The area is located approximately north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage S ...

areas of

. ''E. stokesii badia'' also includes the former subspecies ''E. stokesii aethipos,'' which occurs as an isolated population on Baudin Island, Shark Bay.

Conservation status

''Egernia stokesii'' is categorised by the

International Union for the Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological sp ...

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

. However, the current population has been assessed as decreasing; affected by severely fragmented populations and processes that alter or degrade habitats, such as agricultural activities, mining and altered fire regimes. The subspecies ''E. stokesii badia,'' commonly known as the Western spiny-tailed skink, is listed as

under the Commonwealth ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act'' 1999. The key threats to the species include land clearing, grazing and cropping.