Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Insulasaurus wrighti

Insulasaurus wrighti, also known commonly as Wright's sphenomorphus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Palawan in the Philippines.

Last revised
Jun 8, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
283 w
Citations
8
Source
Insulasaurus wrighti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Insulasaurus
Species:
I. wrighti
Binomial name
Insulasaurus wrighti
Taylor, 1925
Synonyms2
  • Insulasaurus wrighti
    Taylor, 1925
  • Sphenomorphus wrighti
    Greer & F. Parker, 1967
  • Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) wrighti
    W.C. Brown & Alcala, 1970
  • Sphenomorphus wrighti
    — W.C. Brown & Alcala, 1980
  • Insulasaurus wrighti
    Linkem, Diesmos & R.M. Brown, 2011

Insulasaurus wrighti, also known commonly as Wright's sphenomorphus, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Palawan in the Philippines.12

Etymology

The specific name, wrighti, is in honor of American philanthropist John Dutton Wright (1866–1952), who financed Taylor's collecting trip to Palawan.3

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of I. wrighti is unknown; specimens have been collected at an altitude of 300 m (980 ft).1

Description

I. wrighti is a medium-sized skink measuring 45–64 mm (1.8–2.5 in) in snout-to-vent length.2

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of I. wrighti is unknown.2

References

References

  1. Brown, R.; Dimalibot, J. (2009). "Insulasaurus wrighti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009 e.T169886A6686358. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T169886A6686358.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Insulasaurus wrighti at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 June 2020.
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sphenomorphus wrighti, p. 290).
Further reading

Further reading

  • Linkem CW, Diesmos AC, Brown RM (2011). "Molecular systematics of the Philippine forest skinks (Squamata: Scincidae: Sphenomorphus): testing morphological hypotheses of interspecific relationships". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163: 1217–1243.
  • Taylor EH (1925). "Additions to the Herpetological Fauna of the Philippines, IV". Philippine Journal of Science 26: 97–111. (Insulasaurus wrighti, new species, p. 103).