The name Corucia is derived from ‘coruscus’ (meaning shimmering, and referring to the shiny scales), while zebrata is a reference to the stripes present in the specimens Gray was familiar with. Given that Solomon Islanders know this lizard and eat it, there was and is surely indigenous knowledge of the species and probably lore about it, though I haven’t encountered such so far. It’s generic name shouldn’t be confused with that of the Cretaceous fossil lizard Carusia, a possible relative of the living xenosaurids.

Here in the UK, it’s currently not difficult to encounter Corucia in captivity. I should add that it does well if conditions are right: as a canopy-dwelling lizard it needs tall branches with suitable retreats, and some collections (most notably the Philadelphia Zoo) have been breeding Corucia for over 40 years now. They’re not especially active during peak visitor time at zoos, mostly because they’re crepuscular. They’re also exclusively herbivorous and are in fact the only skinks said to be committed to a plant diet. Leaves, shoots, flowers and fruit are all consumed, including those of toxic species. Their dung has a distinctive aroma and it’s apparently possible to locate trees inhabited by this species by smell alone: Harmon (2002) used this technique, making his study “the first documented use of olfactory cues to locate skinks in the wild” (p. 177).