Other members of the genus Leiolopisma occur on New Caledonia and New Zealand, but the Round Island skink is closely related to the two extinct Mascarenes taxa, L. mauritiana from Mauritius and L. ceciliae from Réunion.

[citation needed] L. telfairii is named after Irish botanist Charles Telfair,[3] the founder of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Mauritius.

[citation needed] L. telfairii reaches a total length (including tail) of between 30–40 cm (12–16 in).

[citation needed] The omnivorous diet of L. telfairii consists of seeds, fruits, insects, and small lizards.

Due to habitat destruction and introduced species like goats, black rats, and rabbits, it has been limited to Round Island since the middle of the 19th century.