Lankascincus gansi
Lankascincus gansi (Gans's lankaskink[1] or Gans's tree skink[2]) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.[2]
| Lankascincus gansi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Lankascincus |
| Species: | L. gansi |
| Binomial name | |
| Lankascincus gansi Greer, 1991 | |
Etymology
The specific name, gansi, is in honor of German-born American herpetologist Carl Gans (1923–2009).[3][2]
Habitat
L. gansi is found commonly in home gardens and forests from 30–700 m (98–2,297 ft) in the wet climatic zones.
Geographic range
Localities in Sri Lanka from which L. gansi has been recorded include Gampola, Deniyaya, Akuressa, Ratnapura, Sinharaja, Kuruwita, and Pallegama.
Description
L. gansi has 23–28 scale rows at midbody. The lamellae under the fourth toe number 12–16. The dorsum is grayish brown, with brownish-black vertebral and flank stripes. The flanks are spotted with yellowish cream. The iris is yellowish brown in color. The venter is unpatterned grayish yellow. The throat of the male is dark.
Behavior
L. gansi hides under logs, stones, leaf litter, becoming active and coming out for foraging in morning and at dusk.
Reproduction
Sexually mature females of L. gansi lay one egg per clutch in loose soil.
References
- "Tetrapod Reptiles of Sri Lanka". Biodiversity of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- Lankascincus gansi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 September 2018.
- 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 gansi, p. 97).
External links
Further reading
- Greer AE (1991). "Lankascincus, A New Genus of Scincid Lizards from Sri Lanka, with Descriptions of Three New Species". Journal of Herpetology 25 (1): 59–64. (Lankascincus gansi, new species).