Smith's snake skink (''Nessia bipes''), also known as the two-legged nessia, 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 ...
endemic to island of
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 ...
.
Habitat & distribution
A burrowing skink from eastern
Knuckles Mountain Range
The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed ...
. Known localities are few and include
Gammaduwa
Gammaduwa is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Matale District, Central Province with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is situated at an elevation of 931 m (3,054 ft) above sea level. The area is mildly den ...
and
Matalapitiya.
Description
Midbody scales rows 28. Body slender and equal girth from head to tail. Snout broad and obtuse. Fore limbs absent. Hind limbs vestigial and appear as buds.
Dorsum brown or light reddish brown, hatchlings are dark gray or black.
Ecology & diet
Hides under rubble, decaying logs and in leaf liter in submontane forests, at elevations of up to 750m. When exposed, they immediately wriggle into loose soil or under rubble. Feeds on insects.
Reproduction
Lay 2-4 eggs in loose soil in March, April, or May.
References
* http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Nessia&species=bipes
* http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Nessia_bipes/classification/
Photos of Smith's Snake Skink
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5121024
Reptiles of Sri Lanka
Nessia
Reptiles described in 1935
Taxa named by Malcolm Arthur Smith