Ristella travancorica
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iTravancore Ristella | ||||||||||||||||
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Ristella travancorica (Beddome, 1870) |
Travancore Ristella (Ristella travancorica) is a species of skink. It is also called the Travancore Cat Skink.
The following description is taken from Boulenger's Fauna of British India, Reptilia and Batrachia volume.
Contents |
[edit] Characteristics of the genus Ristella
Palatine and pterygoid bones in contact on the median line of the palate, which is toothless;palatine notch small, far behind , corresponding to the posterior notch of the tongue. Teech conical. Eyelinds well developed, scaly. Ear-opening distinct. Nostril pierced in a single nasal; no supranasals; prefrontals small or coalesced; frontoparietals and interparietal distinct. Limbs well developed, anterior with 4, posterior with 5 digits; claws completely retractile into a large compressed sheath formed of one large scale cleft beneath. Found in the hill-tracts of southern India.
[edit] Synopsis of species
- A. A pair of small prefrontals; frontonasal forming a suture with frontal
- a. Ear-opening much larger than nostril; dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate
- R. rurkii
- a. Ear-opening much larger than nostril; dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate
- B. Two azygous shields between rostral and frontal
- a. 22 to 24 scales round middle of body; adpressed limbs not meeting
- R. guentheri
- b 26 scales round body; adpressed limbs meeting or overlapping
- R. beddomii
- a. 22 to 24 scales round middle of body; adpressed limbs not meeting
Ear-opening not or but slightly larger than the nostril; third to sixth upper labials below the eye. Dorsal scales sharply bicarinate; 24, rarely 26 scales round the middle of the body. Otherwise as in R. rurkii. Reddish brown above, each dorsal scale usually with a dark brown dot; usually a rather indistinct darker lateral band; lower surfaces uniform whitish. From snout to vent 1.5 inches.
[edit] Distribution
Western Ghats, Tirunelveli Hills
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Beddome,R.H. 1870 Descriptions of some new lizards from the Madras Presidency. Madras Monthly J. Med. Sci. 1: 30-35