[2] The specific name, rankini, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Peter Rankin (1955–1979), who was collecting lizards at night in New Caledonia, when he fell from a tree and died.

[3] S. rankini is found in the Exmouth Gulf region of coastal Western Australia, including Bernier Island.

[2] The natural habitat of S. rankini is shrubland in the supralittoral zone.

[1] S. rankini may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.3 cm (2.5 in).

Dorsally, S. rankini is pale gray, darker on the snout and lips.