''Eutropis rugifera'', variously known as Nicobar Island skink or rough-scaled sun skink, 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), ...

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

from southeastern Asia.

Description

Snout short, obtuse. Lower eyelid scaly. Nostril behind vertical of suture between rostral and first labial; no postnasal; anterior loreal not deeper but much smaller than second; frontonasal broader than long, largely in contact with the rostral and with the frontal: the latter shield longer than the frontoparietals and interparietal together, in contact with the first and second supraoculars; 4 supraoculars, second largest; 6 supraciliaries, first largest; fronto-parietals distinct, larger than the interparietal; a pair of nuchals; 5 (or 4) labials anterior to the subocular, which is large and not narrower below. Ear-opening very small, oval, horizontal, with projecting granules round its border. Dorsal, nuchal, and lateral scales very strongly quinquecarinate; 26 scales round the body, of which 8 or 10 are smooth. The hind limb reaches the elbow of the adpressed fore limb. Subdigital lamellae smooth. Scales on upper surface of tibia bicarinate. Tail 1.6 times the length of head and body. Dark olive-brown above, greenish-white inferiorly. From snout to vent 2–5 inches ; tail 4.5.

Distribution

''Eutropis rugifera'' occurs in the

Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelago, archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of t ...

(India),

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

(southern Thailand,

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

, and Singapore),

Sunda Islands The Sunda Islands (; Tetun: ''Illa Sunda'') are a group of islands in the Indonesian Archipelago. They consist of the Greater Sunda Islands and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Etymology "Sunda" denotes the continental shelves or landmasses: the Sun ...

(Indonesia:

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Nias Nias (, Nias: ''Tanö Niha'') is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, but also includes the Batu Islands to the southeast and the small ...

Mentawai Islands Mentawai may refer to: * Mentawai Islands, Indonesia ** Mentawai Strait ** Mentawai people, ethnic group of Indonesia ** Mentawai language, their Austronesian language {{dab Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

; Indonesia/Malaysia:

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

), and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

(the Philippines).

References

* Greer, A.E. & Nussbaum, R.A. 2000 New character useful in the systematics of the scincid lizard genus ''Mabuya''. Copeia 2000 (2): 615–618 * Stoliczka, F. 1870 Observations on some Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Calcutta, 39:134–228. * Stoliczka, F. 1870 Observations of some Indian and Malayan Amphibia and Reptilia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) 6: 105–109 Eutropis Reptiles of India Reptiles of Indonesia Reptiles of Malaysia Reptiles of the Philippines Reptiles of Singapore Reptiles of Thailand Fauna of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Reptiles of Borneo Fauna of Java Taxa named by Ferdinand Stoliczka Reptiles described in 1870 {{skink-stub