Pseudemoia pagenstecheri, also known commonly as the southern grass tussock skink and the southern tussock grass skink, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Eugongylinae of the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
Etymology The specific name, pagenstecheri, is in honour of German zoologist Heinrich Alexander Pagenstecher.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Pseudemoia pagenstecheri, p. 199).
Geographic distribution Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is found in eastern New South Wales, Tasmania, and northeastern Victoria, Australia.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is tussock grassland, especially medium to tall tussock grass.
Reproduction Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is viviparous.
Hybridization Pseudemoia pagenstecheri is known to hybridize with two other species in its genus, P. cryodroma and P. entrecasteauxii.Haines ML, Melville J, Sumner J, Clemann N, Chapple DG, Stuart-Fox D (2016). "Geographic variation in hybridization and ecological differentiation between three syntopic, morphologically similar species of montane lizards". Molecular Ecology 25 (12): 2887–2903.
Conservation status The southern grass tussock skink is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. However, it is acknowledged that the current population is decreasing, especially in the Western Volcanic Plains of Melbourne. This is further confirmed by the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act listing the species as "Endangered" in the Volcanic Plains and in the High Country (alpine) areas. The Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act uses the common assessment method, the method developed and considered best practice by IUCN, (and used to create the Red List).
References
Further reading
Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. . Hutchinson MN, Donnellan SC (1992). "Taxonomy and genetic variation in the Australian lizards of the genus Pseudemoia (Scincidae: Lygosominae)". Journal of Natural History 26 (1): 215–264. (Pseudemoia pagenstecheri, new combination). Lindholm WA (1901). "Bemerkungen und Beschreibung einer neuen Eidechsenart ". In: Lampe E (1901). "Catalog der Reptilien-Sammlung (Schildkröten, Crocodile, Eidechsen und Chamaeleons) des Naturhistorischens Museums zu Wiesbaden ". Jahrbücher des Nassauischen Vereins für Naturkunde 54: 177–222 + Plate III. (Lygosoma (Liolepisma) pagenstecheri ", new species, pp. 214–215 + Plate III, figures 3–5). (in German). Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .