Kaestlea travancorica

Last updated

Kaestlea travancorica
Side-spotted Ground Skink Scincella travancorica.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Kaestlea
Species:
K. travancorica
Binomial name
Kaestlea travancorica
(Beddome, 1870) [2]
Synonyms

Mocoa travancoricaBeddome,1870
Lygosoma travancoricum(Beddome,1870)
Scincella travancorica(Beddome,1870)

Contents

Kaestlea travancorica, also known as the Travancore ground skink or Barbour's ground skink, is a species of skink endemic to southern Western Ghats.

Description

A medium-sized (3.8 cm), blue-tailed forest skink. [3] Earlier placed in the genus Scincella , it is now included in the genus Kaestlea . [4] It is diurnal and known to feed on insects on the forest floor.

Distribution

Restricted to the Western Ghats, India. Mainly known from Travancore regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. Studies conducted in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve show that this species occurs mainly in high-altitude rain forest habitat [5] at elevations between 1,000–1,700 m (3,300–5,600 ft) above sea level. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ristella</i> Genus of lizards

Ristella is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India. Member species are commonly known as cat skinks because of their retractile claws. This genus can be instantly identified by the presence of only four fingers in forelimbs in all the species. All the members look more or less similar, and are drab dark brown to blackish in colouration, with paler undersides. This poorly known group of lizards is diurnal, insectivorous, terrestrial to semi-fossorial in habits. They inhabit deep leaf-litter and grasslands in montane forests and rainforests.

<i>Craspedocephalus macrolepis</i> Species of snake

Craspedocephalus macrolepis, commonly known as the large-scaled pit viper, is a venomous pitviper species endemic to the Southern Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<i>Boiga dightoni</i> Species of snake

Boiga dightoni, commonly known as Dighton's catsnake, the Pirmad cat snake, and the Travancore cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged mildly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Beddome's day gecko is a species of lizard in the Family Gekkonidae endemic to India.

The Haly's tree skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to Sri Lanka. Earlier thought to be found also in the Western Ghats, taxonomic studies have shown D. haliana to be a Sri Lankan endemic, differentiated from the Indian D. subcaeruleum. D. haliana is the only arboreal skink in Sri Lanka.

Eutropis dawsoni, also known commonly as Gans's grass skink and Gans's mabuya, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India.

Ristella beddomii, commonly known as Beddome's cat skink and Beddome's ristella, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to southwestern India.

Ristella guentheri, commonly known as Günther's ristella and Gunther's cat skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to India.

<i>Ristella rurkii</i> Species of reptile

Ristella rurkii, commonly known as Rurk's ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. It is a small, insectivorous, diurnal skink found in shola grasslands and rainforests of hills ranges in parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of India.

<i>Ristella travancorica</i> Species of lizard

Ristella travancorica, commonly known as the Travancore cat skink or the Travancore ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-lined ground skink</span> Species of reptile

The two-lined ground skink is a species of skink. It is found in the Nilgiri Hills and Travancore Hills of India.

Scincella palnica is a species of skink found in India.

<i>Sphenomorphus dussumieri</i> Species of lizard

Sphenomorphus dussumieri, commonly known as Dussumier's forest skink and Dussumier's litter skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southern India.

<i>Raorchestes chalazodes</i> Species of frog from India

Raorchestes chalazodes is a species of critically endangered frog in the family Rhacophoridae. Raorchestes chalazodes is a nocturnal and arboreal species found in the understorey of tropical moist evergreen forest and is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. The specific name chalazodes is composed of the Greek word χάλαζα (chalaza) meaning "lump" and -odes for the derived adjective, reflecting white granulation of the body.

Microauris is a monotypic genus of agamid lizard. Its only species is Microauris aurantolabium, also known as the small-eared dragon or orange-lipped forest lizard, found in the forests of the southern Western Ghats and is currently known from the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The species was formerly included in Pseudocalotes andamanensis of the Andaman Islands, but recognized as distinct in 2008. It was also classified under Calotes until 2018, where it was transferred to its own genus, Microauris, on the basis of its divergence from Calotes.

<i>Scincella gemmingeri</i> Species of lizard

Scincella gemmingeri, commonly known as the forest ground skink, Cope's forest ground skink, and la escíncela de bosque de Cope in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

<i>Kaestlea</i> Genus of lizards

Kaestlea is a genus of skinks. These skinks are small, shiny, smooth-scaled species. They are diurnal, terrestrial and insectivorous. They lay eggs to reproduce. These skinks are identified by their distinct blue tail colour. They live in tropical rainforest and montane forest habitats. These secretive skinks silently move through thick leaf-litter on forest floor. They are all endemic to the Western Ghats mountains and in some parts of Eastern Ghats (Shevaroys) of South India.

Kaestlea beddomii, also known as Beddome's ground skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Scincella doriae, also known commonly as Doria's ground skink and Doria's smooth skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 Das, I.; Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B. (2011). "Kaestlea travancorica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T174134A7020778. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T174134A7020778.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Beddome, R.H. (1870). "Descriptions of some new lizards from the Madras Presidency". Madras Monthly Journal of Medical Science. 1: 30–35.
  3. Das, I. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other reptiles of India. New Holland Publishers (UK).
  4. Eremchenko, V.K. & Das, I. (2004). "Kaestlea: A new genus of scincid lizards (Scincidae: Lygosominae) from the Western Ghats, southwestern India". Hamadryad. 28 (1–2): 43–50.
  5. Ishwar, N.M.; Chellam, R. & Kumar, A. (2001). "Distribution of forest floor reptiles in the rainforest of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, South India". Current Science. 80 (3): 413–418.

Notes