Oligosoma notosaurus
species of reptile
The southern skink (Oligosoma notosaurus) is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Range
This species is only known to inhabit Stewart Island and Codfish Island, south of the South Island, New Zealand. It is also known from Betsy Island in the Stewart Island archipelago. It has been recorded at altitudes between sea level and 700 m.
Conservation status
As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the southern skink as Not Threatened under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It is one of the most common lizard species in the Stewart Island archipelago.
Habitat and ecology
This species is found in sand dunes, grasslands, wetlands, scrub and rocky areas, and forest clearings.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Oligosoma notosaurus” is species of reptile. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Oligosoma, notosaurus and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of reptile” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2708103. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2012.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
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- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oligosoma notosaurus”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Oligosoma notosaurus” 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.