Subdoluseps nilgiriensis
| Subdoluseps nilgiriensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Subdoluseps |
| Species: | S. nilgiriensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Subdoluseps nilgiriensis Ganesh, Srikanthan, Ghosh, Adhikari, Kumar, & Datta-Roy, 2021
| |
The Nilgiri gracile skink (Subdoluseps nilgiriensis) is a species of skink found in Western Ghats ranges in the Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu, South India.[1][2]
Description[edit]
Subdoluseps nilgiriensis can be identified by: slender, small-sized body (47–67 mm); sandy brown above, with each scale tipped with black; a thick black lateral band from snout to tail; a distinct white labial streak; dirty white venter, with throat having mild black striations; 28–29 midbody scale rows; 71–74 mid ventral scales; 66–69 paravertebral scales.
Etymology[edit]
This species was named after its type locality - the Nilgiri hills, in the Western Ghats of South India.
Discovery[edit]
Subdoluseps nilgiriensis was discovered by scientists in the Anaikatti and Mulli hills of the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, in a farmland surrounded by deciduous forests. First found in 2019, after many months of research it was named and described as new to science, in 2021.
Natural history[edit]
Subdoluseps nilgiriensis is most likely a diurnal, insectivorous, skink that lives on dry leaf-litter in deciduous forest belts in mid-elevations (800 m) of these hills. These skinks were seen in marginally human-occupied areas as well, including the place where from they were first sighted. Nothing is known about its reproduction and other life-history traits.
References[edit]
- ^ Ganesh, S.R.; Achyuthan, N.S.; Ghosh, A.; Adhikari, O.D.; Kumar, S.V.V.; Datta-Roy, A. (2021). "A new species of Asian gracile skink (Scincidae: Lygosominae: Subdoluseps) from the rain-shadow belts of Nilgiri hills, Western Ghats, India". Zootaxa. 4950 (2): 361–376. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4950.2.7.
- ^ Subdoluseps nilgiriensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 September 2021.