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Nessia gansi, also known commonly as Gans's three-toed snake skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
| Nessia gansi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Nessia |
| Species: | N. gansi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nessia gansi Batuwita & Edirisinghe, 2017
| |
Habitat and distribution edit
N. gansi is restricted to low-land wet zones up to 100 m (330 ft).[citation needed] Known localities include Ambalangoda, Kanneliya Forest Reserve, Kottawa, Mount Rumaswala,[2] Imaduwa and Kottawa.[citation needed]
Description edit
N. gansi has the following characters. The midbody scales are in 22-26 rows. The ventral scales number 103-114. There are 93-105 paravertebral dorsal scales.[2] The snout is acutely pointed.[citation needed] There are four limbs, and each limb has three digits.[2] The dorsum is dark brown, with each dorsal scale having a distinct posterior dark spot, and the venter is dusky brown.[citation needed]
Ecology edit
N. gansi prefers damp forests or home gardens. In home gardens, it is found in loose soil, in leaf debris, close to rubbish heaps.[1]
Reproduction edit
Etymology edit
The specific name, gansi, is in honour of American herpetologist Carl Gans.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b Ukuwela K, Karunarathna S (2021). "Nessia gansi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T149407276A149407456.en. Accessed on 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Species Nessia gansi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading edit
- Batuwita S, Edirisinghe U (2017). "Nessia gansi: a Second Three-toed Snake-Skink (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka with the Designation of a Neotype for Nessia burtonii Gray. Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa» 60 (1): 377–388. (Nessia gansi, new species).