Talk:Eutropis macularia

File:Eutropis macularia (bronze grass skink) on a tree trunk.jpg scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that the featured picture File:Eutropis macularia (bronze grass skink) on a tree trunk.jpg, which is used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for March 17, 2021. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2021-03-17. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you! Cwmhiraeth (talk) 11:59, 5 March 2021 (UTC)

Eutropis macularia, the bronze grass skink, is a species of lizard in the skink family, Scincidae, native to South and Southeast Asia. It lives in both deciduous and evergreen forests, in plantations, in grasslands, and in rocky areas with scattered trees. The species is active in both the day and the night, feeding on insects and other invertebrates. This bronze grass skink was photographed on a tree trunk on the island of Don Det in Laos.

Photograph credit: Basile Morin

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Hello,

three pictures have been removed by this IP without clear justification. Please explain the diagnostic, and why these skinks should be considered as different species? -- Basile Morin (talk) 01:45, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

I was the one who deleted those photos. I am sorry for not give a clear justification. The reason the deleted those photo because they represent other species. Dpstviva (talk) 06:43, 11 May 2022 (UTC)

• 
  Bronze Grass Skink (Mabuya macularia) W IMG 2753.jpg
• 
  Bronze_Grass_Skink_(Mabuya_macularia)_W_IMG_9971.jpg

Still the two pictures above have been taken by the same photographer. Why the specimen on the left would be a different species than the one at the right? -- Basile Morin (talk) 11:45, 11 May 2022 (UTC)

Because there can be more than one species of skink live together in one habitat.You can clearly see that they have different patterns. Dpstviva (talk) 00:37, 12 May 2022 (UTC)

Given the different lighting conditions, it's not obvious to me. What do others think? Notifying Cwmhiraeth, Shyamal, Micromesistius, Jmgarg1, main contributors. Thanks -- Basile Morin (talk) 01:35, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

I will not be surprised if a careful analysis results in a splitting of the species given that they do not move much and the rather wide distribution has resulted in several population being described as subspecies - https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Eutropis&species=macularia) So I would agree that picking pictures from close to the type locality (Bengal/India) would be the safer bet for now. Unless there is a herpetological work that has done more careful analysis of the specimens from Thailand etc. (sorry I have not done a literature analysis). Shyamal (talk) 03:11, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. In that case, if there is no objection, I will restore Bronze Grass Skink (Mabuya macularia) W IMG 2753.jpg (India), in the gallery. -- Basile Morin (talk) 00:48, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

I do object. In this case, there is nothing to do with splitting species. The photo (Bronze Grass Skink (Mabuya macularia) W IMG 2753.jpg) can be identified as a Eutropis carinata according to "a light dorso-lateral line starting from above the eye and continued to the base of the tail." Dpstviva (talk) 07:06, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

In fact, this photo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skinkblr2.jpg is a Bronze Mabuya Eutropis macularia, not a Keeled Mabuya Eutropis carinata. Dpstviva (talk) 07:19, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

If the images are in fact misidentified, it is best to rename them to avoid any further confusion. (Note: I am no herpetologist nor have I seen any regional skink field identification guides either.) Shyamal (talk) 07:53, 17 May 2022 (UTC)