Ristella
Ristella | |
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Ristella travancorica from the Western Ghats. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Scincidae |
Genus: | Ristella Gray, 1839[1] |
Ristella is a genus of skinks endemic to southern India, which are commonly known as cat skinks because of their retractile claws.
![](../I/m/Ristella_sp.jpg)
Description
Palatine and pterygoid bones in contact on the median line of the palate, which is toothless;palatine notch small, far behind, corresponding to the posterior notch of the tongue. Teeth conical. Eyelids well developed, scaly. Ear-opening distinct. Nostril pierced in a single nasal; no supranasals; prefrontals small or coalesced; frontoparietals and interparietal distinct. Limbs well developed, anterior with 4, posterior with 5 digits; claws completely retractile into a large compressed sheath formed of one large scale cleft beneath.[2]
Geographic range
Found in the hill-tracts of southern India.[2]
Key to species
- A. A pair of small prefrontals; frontonasal forming a suture with frontal.
- a. Ear-opening much larger than nostril; dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate.
- R. rurkii
- b. Ear-opening not, or but slightly, larger than nostril; dorsal scales sharply bicarinate.
- R. travancorica
- a. Ear-opening much larger than nostril; dorsal scales feebly bi- or tricarinate.
- B. Two azygous shields between rostral and frontal.
- a. 22 to 24 scales round middle of body; adpressed limbs not meeting.
- R. guentheri
- b 26 scales round body; adpressed limbs meeting or overlapping.
- R. beddomii [2]
- a. 22 to 24 scales round middle of body; adpressed limbs not meeting.
![](../I/m/Ristella_rurkii_gab_fbi.png)
Species
The following four species are recognized:[3]
- Ristella beddomii Boulenger, 1887
- Ristella guentheri Boulenger, 1887
- Ristella rurkii Gray, 1839
- Ristella travancorica (Beddome, 1870)
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Ristella.
References
- ↑ Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de.
- 1 2 3 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. (Genus Ristella, p. 214).
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
- Gray JE. 1839. Catalogue of the Slender-tongued Saurians, with Descriptions of many new Genera and Species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. [First Series] 2: 331-337. (Genus Ristella, p. 333).