The marbled skink (Oligosoma oliveri), also known commonly as Oliver's New Zealand skink and Oliver's skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Lygosominae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to New Zealand.
Etymology The specific name, oliveri, is in honor of New Zealand ornithologist Walter Reginald Brook Oliver.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Cyclodina oliveri, p. 194).
Description Oligosoma oliveri may attain a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of .
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Oligosoma oliveri is the leaf litter of forest and shrubland.
Behavior Oligosoma oliveri is terrestrial, and it is both crepuscular and nocturnal.
Diet Oligosoma oliveri is omnivorous. It preys upon invertebrates, and it also eats berries and other fruit.
Reproduction Oligosoma oliveri is viviparous. Litter size is two to four neonates.
References
Further reading
Chapple DG, Ritchie PA, Daugherty CH (2009). "Origin, diversification, and systematics of the New Zealand skink fauna (Reptilia: Scincidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 52 (2): 470–487. McCann C (1955). "The Lizards of New Zealand. Gekkonidae and Scincidae". Dominion Museum Bulletin (17): 1–127. (Leiolopisma oliveri, new species, pp. 76–77, 79, 94 + Plate XIII, figures 1–5). van Winkel D, Baling M, Hitchmough R (2019). Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand: A Field Guide. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press. viii + 366 pp. (Oligosoma oliveri, pp. 157, 286–287, 297–298).