Lankascincus deignani
Lankascincus deignani, commonly known as Deignan's tree skink, is a species of skink endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.[1][2]
| Lankascincus deignani | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Lankascincus |
| Species: | L. deignani |
| Binomial name | |
| Lankascincus deignani (Taylor, 1950) | |
 | |
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
- 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) - Lankascincus deignani at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 October 2021.
- 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).
- 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).