The natural history of the sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa (Gray, 1825) – Insight from chance observations and long‐term research on a common Australian skink species

Abstract

In an effort to better understand the dynamics of the parapatric boundary in South Australia of the ticks Amblyomma limbatum and Bothriocroton hydrosauri the late Professor C. Michael Bull initiated studies into the ecology of sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa), a common host of these parasites. These studies spanned a period of about 40 years and examined aspects such as monogamy, long-term mate fidelity, social networks, personality, resource use and the transmission of parasites and other pathogens. This review incorporates the results of these studies with other information about this species to provide a comprehensive overview of its natural history, highlighting not only what is known, but also indicates areas that require further study.

A new Carboniferous edaphosaurid and the origin of herbivory in mammal forerunners

“…The large and bulbous marginal teeth are is reminiscent of a tooth morphotype more often associated with feeding on hard-shelled invertebrate material such as arthropods or molluscs (durophagy) or on seeds (granivory) 31 , 32 . Furthermore, similar types of bulbous teeth can be found in present-day squamates (e.g., Tiliqua rugosa , Tiliqua multifasciata , Dicrodon guttulatum , Tupinambis rufescens ) that also consume plant material and are varying degrees of omnivorous or herbivorous 31 – 36 . In Melanedaphodon , the combination of the structure of the marginal teeth along with the palatal dentition suggests that plant material made up a considerable portion of the diet.…”

A giant armoured skink from Australia expands lizard morphospace and the scope of the Pleistocene extinctions

“…The tiliquin Bellatorias major (land mullet: 670 g), Tiliqua scincoides (eastern bluetongue: 725 g), T. rugosa (shingleback: approx. 1 kg) and Corucia zebrata (prehensile-tailed skink: 1 kg) are the largest living skinks [21][22][23][24]. The Australian Quaternary record preserves two other extinct tiliquin giants from further north, Tiliqua wilkinsonorum Hutchinson & Mackness, 2002 [25] from Chinchilla and a Tiliqua sp.…”

Intrinsic traits, social context, and local environment shape home range size and fidelity of sleepy lizards

“…In most years, food is abundant earlier in the spring when conditions are relatively cool and wet and much less abundant later when conditions are hotter and drier. The site also lies within the parapatric boundary between two lizard‐specific hard tick species, Bothriocroton hydrosauri and Amblyomma limbatum , and lizards in the site harbor both (Godfrey & Gardner, 2017; Norval & Gardner, 2020).…”