Color in Lamprolepus smaragdina

Lamprolepis smaragdina is a tree-dwelling skink found throughout the Philippine Islands, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the islands of the West Pacific. One of three recognized subspecies, L. s. philippinica, is endemic to the Philippine islands, which means it is found in these islands and nowhere else in the world. Populations of this species range in color from green on the front end and brown on the back end, to mottled brown and black on a green ground color. Populations of bright green Lamprolepis are known from the southern Peninsulas of Sulawesi, Palau, the Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands.

The first recorded green populations of Philippine Lamprolepis were discovered on the small, isolated islands of Caluya, in the west-central Philippines, and Siquijor, in the south-central Philippines. Twelve bright green specimens with black rhomboid blotches were collected. During recent fieldwork in the central Philippine islands, CDS collected five all green, adult L. s. philippinica.

–Tucker Walton

Siler, C.D. and C.W. Linkem. 2011. Lamprolepis smaragdina philippinica (Emerald Tree Skink). Color variation. Herpetological Review 42(4): 605. pdf