[5] In 1955, Charles McCann described the species Leiolopisma latilinearum, which was synonymised with the New Zealand striped skink in 1977.

[7] The species is dark brown in colour, with two pale cream stripes along the length of their bodies.

[5][9] The New Zealand striped skink is diurnal and arboreal, often found sun-basking at high points on trees.

[7] In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the striped skink as At Risk under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

It was judged as meeting the criteria for At Risk threat status as a result of it having a low to high ongoing or predicted decline.