Lamprolepis smaragdina, or the Emerald Green Tree Skink, is currently recognized as a single widespread species, with its distribution spanning Wallacea, the Philippines, and New Guinea. In the Philippines, this species is common in low elevation habitat, from disturbed open-canopy forest edges, to residential and agricultural lands. The species is commonly encountered on the trunks of coconut trees along the coast of islands.
This arboreal species exhibits an incredible degree of body color variation between populations (Mertens, 1929). One of three recognized subspecies, L. s. philippinica is endemic to the Philippine islands (Mertens, 1929; Brown and Alcala, 1980). Populations of L. s. philippinica range in color from green anteriorly and brown posteriorly, to mottled brown and black on a green ground color, to completely green (Brown and Alcala, 1980; Siler and Linkem, in press). Outside of the Philippines, populations displaying a completely bright green body are known from the southern peninsulas of Sulawesi, Palau, the Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands (Mertens, 1929; Buden, 2007; Siler and Linkem, in press).
This subspecies is distributed throughout the Philippines.
This subspecies is associated with all major faunal regions in the Philippines as well as many small and isolated islands throughout the archipelago.
Lamprolepis smaragdina philippinica is an arboreal species occurring in low elevation dipterocarp forest, swamp and mangrove habitats, and heavily disturbed habitat as well as agricultural and residential lands. The subspecies appears to be unnaffected by widespread habitat destruction throughout the country, and is commonly observed on the trunks of coconut trees.
Females have been observed to lay 2 eggs in moist, loose soil, in the loose litter and soil surrounding the root networks of large trees, in leafe axils of certain palms, in rotting sutumps, and in large exposed roots (Brown and Alcala, 1980). Eggs are deposited from ground level to several meters above the ground throughout the year, with newly hatched individuals measuring 31-42 mm snout-vent length (Brown and Alcala, 1980).
SVL 80-107.3 mm (Brown and Alcala, 1980)
This subspecies is endemic to the Philippine islands. The type locality is Panay Island (SM 14570).
