Mabuya nagarjuni

Taxobox | name = Sharma's Mabuya
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Sauria
familia = Scincidae
genus = "Mabuya"
species = "M. nagarjuni"
binomial = "Mabuya nagarjuni"
binomial_authority = Sharma, 1969
synonyms = "Eutropis nagarjuni"

Sharma's Mabuya "Mabuya nagarjuni" is a species of skink. It was described by Sharma (1969) from hills south of Vijaypuri on the right bank of the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh.

Description

This species can be distinguished from "Mabuya beddomii" by the supranasals which are separated by frontonasal ("M. beddomii" has supranasal in contact with each other), separate prefrontals ("M. beddomii" has prefrontals in contact with each other), three pairs of nuchals ("M. beddomii" has single pair), presence of post nasal ("M. beddomii" lacks it), dorsal scales with 5-7 keels ("M. beddomii" has 3-5 keels), 16-22 lamellae beneath the fourth toe ("M. beddomii" has 12-15 lamellae), and oval ear opening twice the size of the lateral scales ("M. beddomii" has circular ear opening almost the size of the lateral scales). (Srinivasulu "et al." 2005)

Sharma (1969) described the colour as dark brown or black with white longitudinal stripes three on the back with the middle vertebral stripe. They become indistinct on the tail. The head scales have brown centres and light brown margins. the legs are dark brown above and the hind libs are sculpted with white above. The underside is white. Some specimens show an orangish-red stripe on either side of the neck that may be sex-specific trait.(Srinivasulu "et al." 2005)

References

* Das I. 1991 A new species of Mabuya from Tamil Nadu State, Southern India (Squamata: Scincidae). Journal of Herpetology 25 (3): 342-344.
*Srinivasulu, C., Bhargavi Srinivasulu & C.A. N. Rao (2005). Present status of "Eutropis nagarjuni" (Sharma, 1969) (Reptilia: Scincidae) – An endemic skink from Andhra Pradesh, India. Zoos' Print Jour. 20(5): 1865-1866. [http://www.zoosprint.org/ZooPrintJournal/2005/May/1865-1866.pdf pdf]

External links

* Srinivasulu, C., Bhargavi Srinivasulu & C.A. N. Rao (2006). Reptilian Fauna of Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 106(3): 97-122.