Thwaites's skink

Thwaites's skink (Chalcidoseps thwaitesi) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Thwaites's skink
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Chalcidoseps
Boulenger, 1887
Species:
C. thwaitesi
Binomial name
Chalcidoseps thwaitesi
(Günther, 1872)
Synonyms[1]
  • Nessia thwaitesi
    Günther, 1872
  • Chalcidoseps thwaitesi
    — Boulenger, 1887

Etymology

The specific name, thwaitesi, is in honor of English botanist George Henry Kendrick Thwaites.[2]

Taxonomy

It is the only species in the monotypic genus Chalcidoseps.

Habitat and geographic range

A highly fossorial skink, it is known from the Knuckles Mountain Range, between 700–1,000 m (2,300–3,300 ft).

Description

C. thwaitesi has small eyes with scaly lower eyelids. The midbody scales are smooth, in 24-26 rows. The body and tail are elongate, and the tail is as wide as the body. The limbs are short and rudimentary, each bearing four toes, the inner two toes being short. The dorsum is dark brown, with a blackish-brown central region.

Ecology

In many places, C. thwaitesi lives in sympatry with skinks of the genera Nessia and Lankascincus.

Diet

The diet of C. thwaitesi comprises insects.

Reproduction

C. thwaitesi is oviparous. In April an adult female may lay a clutch of two eggs, each egg measuring 6–11 mm x 18 mm (.33 x .71 inch).

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References
  1. "Chalcidoseps thwaitesi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. 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. (Chalcidoseps thwaitesi, p. 265).

Further reading
  • Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Chalcidoseps, new genus, p. 423; "Chalcidoseps thwaitesii [sic]", new combination, pp. 423–424 + Plate XXXVIII, figures 1, 1a, 1b).
  • Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Genus Chalcidoseps, p. 226; "Chalcidoseps thwaitesii [sic]", p. 226, Figure 62).
  • Günther A (1872). "Descriptions of some Ceylonese Reptiles and Batrachians". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Fourth Series 9: 85-88. ("Nessia Thwaitesii [sic]", new species, p. 86).
  • Smith MA (1935). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (Genus Chalcidoseps, pp. 354–355; Chalcidoseps thwaitesi, pp. 355–356, Figure 83).
  • Taylor EH (1950). "Ceylonese Lizards of the Family Scincidae". Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 33 (2): 481-518. (Genus Chalcidoseps, p. 507; Chalcidoseps thwaitesi, p. 508).
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