Ophiomorus tridactylus
| Three-toed Snake Skink | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Ophiomorus |
| Species: | O. tridactylus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853) | |
Three-toed Snake Skink (Ophiomorus tridactylus) is a species of skink found in sandy desert areas of South Asia and is also called the Indian Sandswimmer for their habit of moving just under the sand.[1]
Distribution
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan
Description
Snout wedge-shaped, with angularly projecting labial edge; mouth inferior. Nostril close to the rostral, which is large and nearly reaches the posterior border of the supranasals; a small anterior and a larger second loreal, the latter usually coalesced with the prefrontal on each side; frontonasal rather large, one half or two thirds the length of the frontal; latter as broad as long or slightly broader, 3 or 4 very small supraoculars; no supraciliaries; a preocular; interparietal as long as broad, as long as the frontal or slightly shorter; frontoparietals small; parietals band-like, narrow; a pair of nuchals, in contact with the interparietal; first and second upper labials smallest, in contact with the nasal, fifth much larger than the four anterior together. Ear hidden. Two azygos postmentals. Body much elongate, with angular latero-ventral edge, with two pairs of short tridactyle limbs; the posterior limbs proportionately much more developed than the anterior, and a little longer than the distance between the foro hmb and the anterior corner of the eve. 22 scales round the body, those of the back and of the two median ventral series narrower than the others. Two slightly enlarged preanals. Tail shorter than head and body, cyclotetragonal at the base, compressed and pointed at the end. Cream-coloured, uniform or with longitudinal series of brown dots on the back; a more or less distinct brown streak passing through the eye.[2]
From snout to vent 3.75 inches; tail 2.2.
Notes
References
- Anderson,S.C. & Leviton,A.E. 1966 A review of the genus Ophiomorus (Sauria: Scincidae), with descriptions of three new forms. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 33 (16): 499-534
- Blyth,E. 1854 Notices and descriptions of various reptiles, new or little-known. Part I. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 22 [1853]: 639-655