Lankascincus deignani
| Lankascincus deignani | |
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| Species: | L. deignani
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| Binomial name | |
| Lankascincus deignani (Taylor, 1950)
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Lankascincus deignani, commonly known as Deignan's Lanka skink, is a species of skink endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
It is named for the American ornithologist Herbert Girton Deignan,[1] 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.[2]
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.
Description
L. deignani is a rather large and robust Lanka skink.
Midbody scales rows 24-28. Lamellae under fourth toe counts 16-20.
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 & Diet
Found in moist leaf litter, under stones and logs in forests.
Diet comprises insects.
Reproduction
Typically 2 eggs laid per one time.
References
- ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lankascincus deignani, p. 68).
- ^ 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).