Lankascincus deignani

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Lankascincus deignani

Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Lankascincus
Species:
L. deignani
Binomial name
Lankascincus deignani
(Taylor, 1950)
Lankascincus deignani distribution.png

Lankascincus deignani, commonly known as Deignan's tree skink, is a species of skink endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.[1][2]

It is named for the American ornithologist Herbert Girton Deignan,[3] being originally named Sphenomorphus deignani by Kansas University's Edward H. Taylor, based on a specimen collected by Deignan from Gannoruwa Mountain on November 12, 1944.[4]

Habitat & Distribution[]

Deignan's Lanka skink is confined to the midhills, submontane, and montane forests between 600 to 1,700 m (2,000 to 5,600 ft) of elevation.[1]

Description[]

L. deignani is a rather large and robust Lanka skink.

Midbody scales rows 28. Lamellae under fourth toe counts 19–20.[2]

Dorsum olive brown. Thick dark lateral stripe, edged above by a brownish yellow stripe, and below by 3–4 gray stripes extending from edge of orbit to tail-tip. Venter cream white or pale pink. Black spots on the upper jaw.

Ecology and diet[]

Found in moist leaf litter, under stones and logs in forests.[1]

Diet comprises insects.[1]

Reproduction[]

Typically 2 eggs laid per one time.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ukuwela, K., Kannishka, S. & Kandambi, D. (2021). "Lankascincus deignani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T157796345A123306509. Retrieved 5 October 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Lankascincus deignani at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 October 2021.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lankascincus deignani, p. 68).
  4. ^ Moonesinghe, Vinod. "The birth of the CIA". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 16 August 2012.

Further reading[]

  • Taylor EH (1950). "Ceylonese Lizards of the Family Scincidae". Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 33 (13): 481-518. (Sphenomorphus deignani, new species, pp. 497–500, Figure 3).
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