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Carlia tetradactyla

species of reptile

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 31, 2026
Entity authorityQ2939125 ↗
Source-derived summary

Carlia tetradactyla, the southern rainbow-skink, is a small species of colourful lizard found in Australia.

A synonym for the species is Mocoa tetradactyla, published with a description by A. W. E. O'Shaughnessy in 1879.

Its distribution range includes the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The type locality is labelled as Queensland, but this is uncertain.

Editorial summary

“Carlia tetradactyla” enters the record as species of reptile. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Carlia, tetradactyla and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1879—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Carlia, tetradactyla and species.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Carlia tetradactyla” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Carlia, tetradactyla and species provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2939125. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1879.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Carlia tetradactyla”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Carlia tetradactyla primary sources, Carlia tetradactyla archive and Carlia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Carlia tetradactyla”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Carlia tetradactyla” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.