Scientific name – Sphenomorphus cherries

Common name – Brown Forest Skink

Biodiversity loss has increased at Las Selva Research Station in the last several years and understanding even the smallest creature’s dynamics will be beneficial in its protection. In 2013, the IUCN listed the skink as a species of least concern because of its wide distribution and tolerance to habitat modification. The unlikely decline of its population indicates that no significant efforts toward protection or management are warranted.

The brown forest skink is a common species and has a stable population. It is found at elevations from 0 to 1860 meters with a geographic distribution of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and has no migratory patterns. The preferred habitat of the brown forest skink consists of a terrestrial forest with wet, moist, or dry leaf litter. The diurnal skink preys upon small invertebrates in the leaf litter. They are oviparous and have approximately 2 litters a year with 2 to 3 pups per clutch. Mature females are between 26 and 50 millimeters in length and weigh up to 6.25 grams. The brown forest skink is tolerant of disturbed habitats and very adaptive.

Whitfield et al. (2014) found litter depth to regulate the population density of amphibians and reptiles in La Selva Research Station, including the brown forest skink. A literature review and analysis of datasets from over four decades was used to evaluate the potential effects of multi-decadal change in standing litter. A manipulation study of the leaf litter was also conducted, lasting sixteen months, to measure terrestrial amphibian and reptile responses. Although the study found that the strongest response to manipulations were species that traditionally decline more rapidly, based on long term data, the skink’s population was still negatively affected when the litter was manipulated.

Citation

Brown Forest Skink – Sphenomorphus cherriei – Media. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2017, from http://eol.org/pages/790586/media

International Union for Conservation of Nature (n.d.). Brown Forest Skink. Retrieved May 29, 2017, from http://www.iucn.org/

Whitfield, S. M., Reider, K., Greenspan, S., & Donnelly, M. A. (2014). Litter dynamics regulate population densities in a declining terrestrial Herpetofauna. Copeia, 2014(3), 454-461. doi:10.1643/ce-13-061