Nessia gansi

Nessia gansi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Nessia
Species:
N. gansi
Binomial name
Nessia gansi

Nessia gansi, also known commonly as Gans's three-toed snake skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Habitat and distribution

N. gansi is restricted to low-land wet zones up to 100 m (330 ft).[citation needed] Known localities include Ambalangoda, Kanneliya Forest Reserve, Kottawa, Mount Rumaswala,[2] Imaduwa and Kottawa.[citation needed]

Description

N. gansi has the following characters. The midbody scales are in 22-26 rows. The ventral scales number 103-114. There are 93-105 paravertebral dorsal scales.[2] The snout is acutely pointed.[citation needed] There are four limbs, and each limb has three digits.[2] The dorsum is dark brown, with each dorsal scale having a distinct posterior dark spot, and the venter is dusky brown.[citation needed]

Ecology

N. gansi prefers damp forests or home gardens. In home gardens, it is found in loose soil, in leaf debris, close to rubbish heaps.[1]

Reproduction

N. gansi is oviparous.[2]

Etymology

The specific name, gansi, is in honour of American herpetologist Carl Gans.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Ukuwela K, Karunarathna S (2021). "Nessia gansi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T149407276A149407456.en. Accessed on 26 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Species Nessia gansi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

  • Batuwita S, Edirisinghe U (2017). "Nessia gansi: a Second Three-toed Snake-Skink (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka with the Designation of a Neotype for Nessia burtonii Gray. Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa» 60 (1): 377–388. (Nessia gansi, new species).