Striped Skinks in Oceania: The Status of Emoia caeruleocauda in Fiji

Abstract

A rediscovered population of Emoia caeruleocauda from the Fiji Islands is compared with populations from Papua New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, and Vanuatu. Morphometrically, females from all populations are somewhat smaller than males, although males are significantly larger only in head length and width, and hindlimb length. Females and males do not appear dimorphic in scalation. Interpopulation comparison shows the populations to differ from one another in morphometry and scalation. In morphometry females and in scalation males and females of Fiji and Vanuatu and those of the Carolines and Papua are more similar to one another than each member of a pair is to members of the other pair. These patterns of variation suggest that the Fijian population of E. caeruleocauda is a native one and not introduced.