Wikiwand AI

Kaestlea travancorica

Species of lizard From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kaestlea travancorica, also known as the Travancore ground skink or Barbour's ground skink, is a species of skink endemic to southern Western Ghats.

Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Scincidae
Quick facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Kaestlea travancorica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Kaestlea
Species:
K. travancorica
Binomial name
Kaestlea travancorica
(Beddome, 1870)[2]
Synonyms

Mocoa travancorica Beddome,1870
Lygosoma travancoricum (Beddome,1870)
Scincella travancorica (Beddome,1870)

Close

Description

A medium-sized (3.8 cm), blue-tailed forest skink.[3] Earlier placed in the genus Scincella, it is now included in the genus Kaestlea.[4] It is diurnal and known to feed on insects on the forest floor.

Distribution

Restricted to the Western Ghats, India. Mainly known from Travancore regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. Studies conducted in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve show that this species occurs mainly in high-altitude rain forest habitat[5] at elevations between 1,000–1,700 m (3,300–5,600 ft) above sea level.[1]

References

Notes

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks