Lankascincus fallax (PETERS, 1860)
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Lankascincus fallax
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Ristellinae (Ristellini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Peters' Tree Skink |
| Synonym | Lygosoma fallax PETERS 1860: 184 Eumeces tabrobanenesis GÜNTHER 1864 (part., fide SMITH 1935) Lygosoma megalops ANNANDALE 1906: 190 Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) fallax — DERANIYAGALA 1931 Lygosoma fallax — SMITH 1935: 288 Lygosoma megalops — SMITH 1935: 289 Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) fallax — SMITH 1937: 220 Sphenomorphus rufogulus TAYLOR 1950 (fide GREER 1991) Sphenomorphus megalops — TAYLOR 1950: 497 Sphenomorphus megalops — DERANIYAGALA 1953: 70 Sphenomorphus fallax — TAYLOR 1953 Sphenomorphus megalops — TAYLOR 1953 Lankascincus fallax — GREER 1991 Lankascincus deraniyagalae GREER 1991 Sphenomorphus megalops — DAS 1996: 48 Sphenomorphus rufogulus — DAS 1996: 48 Sphenomorphus rufogulus — DE SILVA 1996 Lankascincus fallax — AUSTIN et al. 2004 Lankascincus deraniyagalae — AUSTIN et al. 2004 Sphenomorphus rufogulus — RODRIGOI et al. 2006 Lankascincus fallax — ZIESMANN et al. 2007 Sphenomorphus rufogulus — ZIESMANN et al. 2007 Sphenomorphus megalops — SOMAWEERA & SOMAWEERA 2009 Lankascincus dorsicatenatus — SOMAWEERA & SOMAWEERA 2009: 225 (fig 261) Lankascincus gansi — SOMAWEERA & SOMAWEERA 2009: 229 (fig. 263) Lankascincus deraniyagalae — DAS & DAS 2017 Lankascincus fallax — BATUWITA 2019 Lankascincus megalops — BATUWITA 2019: 223 Lankascincus fallax — AMARASINGHE et la. 2022 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka Type locality: Ratnapura, Trincomali, Ceylon deraniyagalae: Sri Lanka (central hills including sub montane area, and the Galle Fort area in the coastal plane); Type locality: Punduloya, Ceylon megalops: Sri Lanka; Type locality: Pitawala, near Kitulgala (Sabaragamuwa Province), 06°59’N, 80°27’E, 800 m elevation (neotype locality). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntypes: ZMB 3762, ZMB 64361, NMW 16630:1-9, see Bauer et al. (2003). The syntypes were considered lost or formerly in NMSL); the neotype, NMSL (WHT) 6545, designated by Batuwita 2019: 223 is invalid fide Amarasinghe et al. 2022; from Puttalam and Kithulgala, Sri Lanka (see Batuwita & Pethiyagoda, 2007). Apparently the neotype had not been deposited in NMSL by May 2021 (Thasun Amarasinghe, pers. comm., 23 Sep 2020 and 3 May 2021). Paratypes: NMSL Holotype: FMNH 120229 [Sphenomorphus rufogulus] Holotype: BMNH 95.7.23.28C; Paratypes: BMNH 95.7.23.28B, D-E, same data as holotype. MCZ 39837-39, Dimbulla, Queensland Estate. SMF 15460, Pt. de Galle; other specimens: ZMH [deraniyagalae] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Compared to other lygosomine skinks, the skinks of this genus share the following combination of derived character states: size small (maximum SVL, 58 mm); nuchals undifferentiated; subocular scale row complete and non-interdigitating with supralabials; external ear opening reduced, approximately three times size of narial opening; postmental contacts first infralabial only; third pair of chin scales separated from infralabial row; outer preanals overlap inner; scales perfectly smooth; subdigital lamellae with postaxial groove basally; premaxillary teeth >11; palatal rami of pterygoids slightly expanded posteromedially; fat bodies absent; clutch size constant, two or one, depending on species (GREER 1991). Characters of species groups: the L. gansi group is clearly distinguished by having prefrontals in contact (vs separated in L. taprobanensis); two primary temporals (vs single in L. taylori group, L. deignani group, and L. taprobanensis); paired frontoparietals (vs fused in L. fallax); last supralabial longitudinally split (vs single in L. taylori group, L. deignani group, L. fallax and L. taprobanensis); second supraocular wider in transverse axis (vs subequal in L. dorsicatenatus group, L. deignani group, and L. fallax and L. taprobanensis). The recently described L. merrill shares characters of both the gansi group and L. fallax group (Kanishka et al. 2020). Diagnosis (fallax). Distinguished from all other species of Lankascincus by the following combination of characters: supraciliaries 8– 9; primary temporals two; secondary temporals two, in contact, upper not elongate; supralabials seven; last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial; postsupralabials two; paravertebrals 46–55, similar in size; ventral scales 53–64; transverse scale rows across mid-body 24–28; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of manus 9–12; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes 15–18; maximum SVL 43.5 mm; adpressed limbs not overlapping; general body color of males light brown, with black or red throat, some subadult males with red belly, females and juveniles with, on each side, two black dorsolateral lines and in between them a light brown dorsolateral line (Fig. 11 in Batuwita 2019). Comparisons. Lankascincus taprobanensis: single primary temporal and six supralabials; L. megalops: last supralabial smaller than the preceding supralabial and secondary temporals separated; L. deignani: single primary temporal and 19–20 subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes; L. dorsicatenatus: last supralabial smaller than the preceding supralabial and secondary temporals separated; L. taylori: single primary temporal and sexes alike (coloration is the same); L. gansi: last supralabial smaller than the preceding supralabial and secondary temporals separated; L. sripadensis: single primary temporal, and sexes alike (coloration is the same); L. greeri: subocular pale spot, single primary temporal, and 19–20 subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes. MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE et al. (2007) believe that Sphenomorphus rufogulus is actually the sub adult of Lankascincus fallax, and not a colour variation. The throat colour of Lankascincus fallax subadults is red. In Lankascincus fallax the throat colour is actually dark red and not black. Diagnosis (megalops). This species is distinguished from all other species of Lankascincus by the following combination of characters: prefrontals in contact with each other; subequal supraoculars; fourth supraocular almost entirely in contact with frontoparietal; second supraocular narrow; frontoparietals two; frontoparietal subequal to frontal; supraciliaries 9–11; primary temporals two, in contact; secondary temporals two, separated; supralabials seven; last supralabial smaller than the preceding supralabial; postsupralabials two; paravertebral scales 47–50; ventral scales 48–57; transverse scale rows across mid-body 25–29; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes 15–18; adpressed limbs overlapping; general body color olive brown; ventral side yellowish; male lacks dorsolateral stripe; some males with white spots on temporal area; females with a pair of distinct black longitudinal stripes on dorsum and a light brown, oneand-a-half-scale-width to two-scale-width dorsolateral line (Batuwita 2019: 224). Comparisons (megalops). Lankascincus taprobanensis: single primary temporal and six supralabials; L. fallax: secondary temporals in contact with each other and last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial; L. deignani: single primary temporal, secondary temporals in contact, and 19–20 subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes; L. dorsicatenatus: 40–46 paravertebrals, supraoculars not subequal and catenated dorsal color pattern in females; L. taylori: single primary temporal, secondary temporals in contact, and last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial; L. gansi: single supradigital scale row, adpressed limbs non-overlapping, and 11–13 subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes; L. sripadensis: single primary temporal, secondary temporals in contact, and last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial; L. greeri: subocular pale spot, single primary temporal, secondary temporals in contact, and last supralabial subequal to the preceding supralabial (Batuwita 2019: 229). |
| Comment | Synonymy: BATUWITA 2019 synonymized Lankascincus deraniyagalae GREER 1991 with L. fallax. Amarasinghe et al. 2022 synonymized Lygosoma megalops with L. fallax. Type Species: Lygosoma fallax PETERS 1860 is the type species of the genus Lankascincus GREER 1991. For a general description of the species in the taxon see Taylor (1950) and Deraniyagala (1953), and for some general morphometrics see Table 1 in Greer 1991. Kanishka et al. 2020 provide a comparison of most Lankascincus species in their Tables 4 and 5. Key: Kanishka et al. 2020: 116 provide a key to the species of Lankascincus. Species groups: L. gansi group: L. gansi sensu lato; L. taylori group: L. taylori, L. sripadensis; L. dorsicatenatus group: L. dorsicatenatus, L. megalops; L. deignani group: L. deignani and L. greeri; L. fallax, L. taprobanensis, and L. merrill. |
| Etymology | A Latin adjective meaning ‘deceptive’ or ‘fallacious’ in the neutral nominative, with unclear justification. |
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