Nessia burtonii

Nessia burtonii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Nessia
Species:	N. burtonii
Binomial name
Nessia burtonii Gray, 1839
Synonyms
Nessia burtonii Gray, 1839 Acontias burtonii — Boulenger, 1887 Nessia burtonii — M.A. Smith, 1935[1]

Nessia burtonii, commonly known as Burton's nessia, the three-toed snake skink, or Gray's snake skink, is a species of skink endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Etymology

The specific name, burtonii, is in honor of British army surgeon Edward Burton (1790–1867).^[2]

Habitat and geographic range

A burrowing skink found in the wet zone of Sri Lanka, N. burtonii is widely distributed at 30–300 m (98–984 ft) at Gampola, Veyangoda, Lunawa, Mathugama, Kuruwita, Rakwana, and Kadugannawa.

Description

Midbody scales rows 24-26. Body slender and of equal girth from head to tail. Snout acute. Each limb with three tiny clawed toes, hence the common name. The dorsum is brown or light reddish brown, each scale with a darker edge. The venter is creamy or may be gray.

Ecology and diet

N. burtonii hides during the day, under rubble, decaying logs, and in leaf litter within submontane forests, up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). When exposed, it immediately wriggles into loose soil or under rubble. When caught, it regurgitates its food, presumably as a predator-deflection response. It forages at night on insects and possibly earthworms.

Reproduction

Two eggs are laid in loose soil.

References

1. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
2. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Nessia burtonii, p. 43).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA. 1887. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Acontias burtonii, p. 425).
• Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Acontias burtonii, p. 227).
• Gray JE. 1839. Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. [First Series] 2: 331-337. ("Nessia Burtonii [sic]", new species, p. 336).
• Gray JE. 1845. Catalogue of the Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Edward Newman, printer). xxviii + 289 pp. ("Nessia Burtoni [sic]", p. 126).
• Günther ACLG. 1864. The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Nessia burtonii, p. 97).
• Smith MA. 1935. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. ("Nessia burtoni [sic]", pp. 357–358).

External links

• http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Nessia & species=burtonii
• http://www.gbif.org/species/124789228
• Photos of Burton's snake skink