''Eutropis floweri'', also known
commonly as Flower's skink, Taylor's skink and Taylor's striped mabuya, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Scincidae. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the island of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
Stanley Smyth Flower
Major Stanley Smyth Flower Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, FLS Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, FZS (1 August 1871 – 3 February 1946) was an English army officer, science advisor, administrator, zoologist and conservationi ...
.[
]
Habitat and geographic range
''E. floweri'' is found in arid northeastern Sri Lanka (Trincomalee District
Trincomalee District ( ; ) is one of the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka, districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a Government Agent (Sri Lanka), D ...
), and in forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
in central Sri Lanka.[
]
Description
''E. floweri'' is a small, terrestrial skink. Its dorsal scales
In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...
are tricarinate. The midbody scale rows number 30–32. The smooth ventral scale
In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...
rows number 12. The dorsum is olive brown, with a greenish white dorso-lateral stripe running from eye to the base of the tail. There is a series of 20 paired short black narrow transverse markings running from shoulder to tail. The venter is light with a greenish cast.[ (''Eutropis floweri'', new combination, pp. 46–47).]
References
Further reading
* Somaweera R, Somaweera N (2009). ''Lizards of Sri Lanka, A Colour Guide with Field Keys''. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 304 pp. .
* Taylor EH (1950). "Ceylonese lizards of the family Scincidae". ''University of Kansas Science Bulletin'' 33 (2): 481–518. (''Mabuya floweri'', new species, pp. 487–489).
*Taylor EH (1953). "A Review of the Lizards of Ceylon". ''Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull.'' 35 (2): 1525–1585. (''Mabuya floweri'', p. 1575).
External links
* Sri Lankan Reptiles
Eutropis
Reptiles of Sri Lanka
Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka
Reptiles described in 1950
Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor
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