Scincella verecunda XU, NGUYEN, DENG, ZHANG, SUN, LIU, POYARKOV & PENG, 2026
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Scincella verecunda?
Scincella verecunda
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Lincang Ground Skink |
| Synonym | Scincella verecunda XU, NGUYEN, DENG, ZHANG, SUN, LIU, POYARKOV & PENG 2026 |
| Distribution | China (Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province) Type locality: Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China (23.8977°N, 100.1836°E; elevation 2,358 m a.s.l.) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: QHU R2025058, adult female, collected by J.D. Deng and Y.H. Xu on 02 July 2025. Paratypes (n = 5): QHU R2025059, QHU R2025061 (two adult females) and QHU R2025060 (one subadult female), with the same collecting information as the holotype. QHU R2025055 (one adult female) and QHU R2025056 (one subadult female) from Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China (23.8863°N, 100.1697°E; elevation 2,113 m a.s.l.) collected by J.D. Deng and J.C. Liu on 16 June 2025. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Scincella verecunda sp. nov. can be diagnosed from other Scincella species by the following unique combination of characters: (1) medium body size in adult female, with a maximum SVL of 48.7 mm; (2) supraciliaries 6–7; (3) supralabials seven, separated from the eye by a row of small scales; (4) infralabials six; (5) palpebral disc absent; (6) midbody scale rows 25–26; (7) ventral scale rows (excluding gulars) 43–45, gulars 20–23, with total ventral + gular scale rows numbering 65–68; (8) dorsal scales smooth, slightly enlarged, with paravertebral scale rows 62–65; (9) toes not in contact with fingers when limbs adpressed; (10) 6–9 enlarged lamellae beneath finger IV, 11–13 beneath toe IV; (11) in life, the dorsum brown and scattered with a few small dark spots, the lateral surface golden-yellow, bearing numerous distinct dark spots, which sometimes connect to form vermiform markings; (12) the dark dorsolateral stripes irregular; and (13) in life, ventral surface of the head creamy white, scattered with small black spots, and the ventral surface of the body golden yellow and immaculate. (Xu et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about less than half a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific epithetverecundais derived from the Latin adjective “verecundus,” meaning “shy” or “retiring.” The name refers to the wary disposition and secretive ecological habits of the new species. In the field, individuals rapidly retreated beneath fallen logs or other ground cover when disturbed. |
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