''Eutropis tytleri'' (common name: Tytler's mabuya) is a species of

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, India.

Etymology and Taxonomy

''E. tytleri'' is named after British naturalist Robert Christopher Tytler, Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Mabuya tytleri'', p. 269). who probably collected the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

. It was described by the British naturualist William Theobald in 1868, who was employed by the Geological Survey of India at the time.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''E. tytleri'' is forests, at altitudes from sea level to . It can be found in native broadleaf forests, agricultural fields, coconut plantations, and around human dwellings and gardens.

Description

A large species of skink, ''E. tytleri'' may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The tail is long, from 1.5 to 2.2 times SVL. Dorsally, it is bronzish brown. Ventrally, it is light yellow. Chandramouli SR, Amarasinghe AAT (2020). "On two poorly known, insular skinks, ''Eutropis tytleri'' (Theobald, 1868) and ''E. andamanensis'' ( Smith, 1935) (Reptilia: Scincidae), endemic to the Andaman Islands, India". ''Taprobanica'' 9 (1): 31–38. ''E. tytleri'' is thought to be the largest extant skink species native to the Indian subcontinent.

Behavior

''E. tytleri'' is

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...

. It has been observed climbing tree trunks to a height of , and is also active on the ground.

Diet

''E. tytleri'' preys upon insects, frogs, and small reptiles.

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of ''E. tytleri'' is unknown. Das I (2002).

Relationship with humans

While the forests to which ''E. tytleri'' lives appear to be shrinking as human use of its habitat increases, this species population does not appear to be in decline. ''E. tytleri'' appears able to adapt to new, human-created habitats and is known to inhabit many human-used spaces.Furthermore, this skink is not known to be utilized by people and does not appear to be under any specific threat. Andaman Islands 03967-DeNoiseAI-severe-noise

Andaman Islands 03967-DeNoiseAI-severe-noise

References

* 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. (''Mabuia tytleri'', p. 187). *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. (''Mabuia tytleri'', pp. 191–192). * Das I (2002). ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (''Mabuya tytleri'', p. 112). * 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. (''Mabuya tytleri'', p. 270). {{Taxonbar, from=Q3012485 Eutropis Reptiles of India Fauna of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Endemic fauna of India Taxa named by William Theobald Reptiles described in 1868