Ristella travancorica

Ristella travancorica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Ristella
Species:	R. travancorica
Binomial name
Ristella travancorica (Beddome, 1870)
Synonyms
Ateuchosaurus travancoricus Beddome, 1870 (part) Ristella travancorica — Beddome, 1871 (part) Ristella travancorica — Boulenger, 1890 Ristella travancoricus — Das, 1996 [1][2]

Ristella travancorica, commonly known as the Travancore cat skink or the Travancore Ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats in India.

Description

Ahaetulla nasuta preying on Ristella.

Ear-opening not or but slightly larger than the nostril; third to sixth upper labials below the eye. Dorsal scales sharply bicarinate; 24, rarely 26, scales round the middle of the body. Otherwise as in R. rurkii. Reddish brown above, each dorsal scale usually with a dark brown dot; usually a rather indistinct darker lateral band; lower surfaces uniform whitish. From snout to vent 1.5 in (3.8 cm).^[1]

Geographic range

R. travancorica is found in India, in the Western Ghats, in the Ponmudi Hills (western Tamil Nadu state), and the Tirunelveli Hills (Kerala state).

Head of Travancore cat skink.

^[3]

Reproduction

This species is oviparous. Egg laying coincides with the southwestern monsoons. Adult females lay clutches of 2 eggs under dead leaves and rocks. Each egg measures 11 mm (0.43 in) x 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in).^[3]

Notes

1. 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. (Ristella travancorica, p. 216).
2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
3. Das I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Ristella travancoricus, p. 113).

References

• Beddome RH. 1870. Descriptions of some new lizards from the Madras Presidency. Madras Monthly J. Med. Sci. 1: 30-35. (Ateuchosaurus travancoricus, p. 33).
• 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. (Ristella travancorica, p. 358 + Plate XXIX, Figures 2, 2a).
• 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. (Ristella travancorica, pp. 331–332).