Ristella rurkii

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Ristella rurkii
Ristella rurkii.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Ristella
Species:
R. rurkii
Binomial name
Ristella rurkii
Gray, 1839
Ristella rurkii distribution.png
Synonyms
  • Ristella rurkii
    Gray, 1839
  • Ateuchosaurus travancoricus
    Beddome, 1870 (part)
  • Ristella malabarica
    Stoliczka, 1871
  • Ristella rurki [sic]
    M.A. Smith, 1935
  • Ristella rurkii
    Das, 1996 [2]

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.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, rurkii, is in honor of "Dr. Rurk" who collected the type specimen. [3]

Geographic range

R. rurkii is found in South India, in the Anaimalai Hills, High Ranges, Travancore, and the Palni Hills, of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is endemic to rainforests south of Palghat Gap.

Related Research Articles

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Ristella is a genus of skinks endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India. They 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 complexion with paler undersides. This poorly known groups of lizards are diurnal, insectivorous, terrestrial to semi fossorial in habits. They inhabit deep leaf-litter and grasslands in montane forests and rainforests.

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<i>Ophisops beddomei</i> species of reptile

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<i>Ophisops leschenaultii</i> Species of lizard

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<i>Riopa guentheri</i> Species of lizard

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<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.

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

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References

  1. Ganesh, S.R. (2021). "Ristella rurkii". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . IUCN. 2021: e.T174133A158415414. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. "Ristella rurkii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Ristella rurkii, p. 229).

Further reading