''Nessia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
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 ...
s, lizards in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Scincidae. The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
in the genus ''Nessia'' are commonly known as snake skinks.
Species
The following nine species are recognized as being valid:
[
*'']Nessia bipes
Smith's snake skink (''Nessia bipes''), also known as the two-legged nessia, is a species of skink endemic to island of Sri Lanka.
Habitat & distribution
A burrowing skink from eastern Knuckles Mountain Range. Known localities are few and include ...
'' – two-legged nessia
*''Nessia burtonii
''Nessia burtonii'', commonly known as Burton's nessia, Gray's snake skink, or the three-toed snake skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
Etymology
The specific n ...
'' – Burton's nessia
*''Nessia deraniyagalai
''Nessia deraniyagalai'', commonly known as Deraniyagala's snake skink, Deraniyagala's snakeskink, or Deraniyagala's nessia, is a species of limbless lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
Etymology ...
'' – Deraniyagala's nessia
*''Nessia didactyla
''Nessia didactyla'', also known as the two-toed nessia and two-toed snakeskink, is a species of skink endemic to island of Sri Lanka.
Habitat & Distribution
A low hill to submountain skink species, known from localities that lie at 500–100 ...
'' – two-toed nessia
*''Nessia gansi
''Nessia gansi'', also known commonly as Gans's three-toed snake skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
Habitat and distribution
''N. gansi'' is restricted to low-land wet z ...
''
*''Nessia hickanala
''Nessia hickanala'', also known as the shark-headed snake skink and Hickanala nessia, is a species of skink endemic to island of Sri Lanka.
Description
Midbody scales rows 2–21. Body is elongated and limbless. Head flattened, wedge-shaped. ...
'' – Hickanala nessia
*''Nessia layardi
''Nessia layardi'', commonly known as Layard's snake skink or Layard's nessia, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka."''Nessia layardi'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptil ...
'' – Layard's nessia
*''Nessia monodactyla
The toeless snake skink (''Nessia monodactyla''), also known as the one-toed nessia, is a species of skink endemic to island of Sri Lanka.
Habitat & distribution
Widely distributed in the wet climatic zones from 400-1500m, and known localities ...
'' – one-toed nessia
*''Nessia sarasinorum
''Nessia sarasinorum'', commonly known as Sarasins's snake skink or Müller's nessia, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
Etymology
The specific name, ''sarasinorum'', is in ho ...
'' – Müller's nessia
''Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...
'': A binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Nessia''.
References
Further reading
* Gray JE (1839). "Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, First Series'' 2: 331–337. (''Nessia'', new genus, p. 336).
* 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. (Genus ''Nessia'', pp. 356–357; ''Nessia bipes'', ''nomen novum
In biological nomenclature, a ''nomen novum'' (Latin for "new name"), new replacement name (or replacement name, new substitute name, substitute name) is a scientific name that is created specifically to replace another scientific name, but only w ...
'', p. 359).
* Taylor EH (1950). "Ceylonese Lizards of the Family Scincidae". ''University of Kansas Science Bulletin'' 33 (2): 481–518. (Genus ''Nessia'', pp. 508–509; ''Nessia deraniyagalai'', new species, pp. 516–518, Figures 8A, 8B).
* Batuwita S, Edirisinghe U (2017). "''Nessia gansi'': a Second Three-toed Snake-Skink (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka with the Designation of a Neotype for ''Nessia burtonii'' Gray". ''Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa»'' 60 (1): 377–388.
Reptiles of South Asia
Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka
Lizard genera
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
Reptiles of Sri Lanka
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