''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', commonly known as the three-toed snake skink, is a
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 ...
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
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 sandy desert areas of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
. It is also called the Indian sand-swimmer for its habit of moving just under the sand.
[ Minton SA Jr. 1966. A contribution to the herpetology of West Pakistan. ''Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist.'' 134 (2): 27-184. (''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', pp. 105-106).]
Distribution
''O. tridactylus'' is found in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Description
Snout wedge-shaped, with angularly projecting labial edge; mouth inferior. Nostril close to the rostral, which is large and nearly reaches the posterior border of the supranasals; a small anterior and a larger second loreal, the latter usually coalesced with the prefrontal on each side; frontonasal rather large, one half or two thirds the length of the frontal; latter as broad as long or slightly broader, 3 or 4 very small supraoculars; no supraciliaries; a preocular; interparietal as long as broad, as long as the frontal or slightly shorter; frontoparietals small; parietals band-like, narrow; a pair of nuchals, in contact with the interparietal; first and second upper labials smallest, in contact with the nasal, fifth much larger than the four anterior together. Ear hidden. Two azygos postmentals. Body much elongate, with angular latero-ventral edge, with two pairs of short tridactyle limbs; the posterior limbs proportionately much more developed than the anterior, and a little longer than the distance between the fore limb and the anterior corner of the eye. 22 scales round the body, those of the back and of the two median ventral series narrower than the others. Two slightly enlarged preanals. Tail shorter than head and body, cyclotetragonal at the base, compressed and pointed at the end.
Cream-coloured, uniform or with longitudinal series of brown dots on the back; a more or less distinct brown streak passing through the eye.
From snout to vent , tail .
[ 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. (''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', p. 222).]
References
Further reading
*
Anderson SC,
Leviton AE. 1966. A review of the genus ''Ophiomorus'' (Sauria: Scincidae), with descriptions of three new forms. ''Proc. California Acad. Sci.'', Fourth Series, 33 (16): 499-534, 8 figures, 1 table. (''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', pp. 517–519 + Figures 4c, 4d, 5b).
*
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. (''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', pp. 394–395).
*
Blyth E.
853
__NOTOC__
Year 853 ( DCCCLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* May 22 – A Byzantine fleet (85 ships and 5,000 men) sacks and d ...
"1854". Notices and descriptions of various Reptiles, new or little known
art I
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
''J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal'' 22: 639-655. (''Sphenocephalus tridactylus'', new species, pp. 654–655).
*
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. (''Ophiomorus tridactylus'', pp. 346–347).
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2408198
Ophiomorus
Reptiles of Afghanistan
Reptiles of India
Reptiles of Pakistan
Reptiles described in 1853
Taxa named by Edward Blyth