In 1845, J.E Gray an eminent British zoologist, distinguished the shrubland Morethia skink from the M. lineoocellatus as it had supranasal scales and renamed it M.

[4] Skinks in general have quite small legs not in proportion to their body size and no pronounced neck but are bilaterally symmetrical.

[5] Scales on the mid body are usually between 26 and 28 rows with lamellae (thin plates) under the fourth toe, which are smooth or keeled and unicarinate.

[3] Shrubland morethia skinks can be found in woodlands, heaths and shrublands, often in association with mallee and spinifex, within arid and semi-arid areas of southwest New South Wales, southern South Australia and some of its offshore islands, northwest Victoria and southern Western Australia.

[3] Not much is known about the specific diet of M. obscura though from studies on other species from the same family it can be deduced that they are primarily insectivorous with typical prey including crickets, flies, beetles grasshoppers and the multitude of insects found in vegetative undergrowth of forests.

[3] Altered fire regimes may cause a threat to M. obscura as it has been found to be more abundant in areas that have experienced thinning and burning.