A New Species of the Genus Scincella Mittlemann, 1950 (Squamata: Scincidae) from Vietnam

Truong Quang Nguyen, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Nikolai L. Orlov, Evgeny Rybaltovsky, Wolfgang Böhme

Abstract


We describe a new species of Scincella based on a single specimen from Dien Bien Province, northern Vietnam. Scincella darevskii sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by the following character combination: size large (SVL 88.6 mm); prefrontals separated; supraoculars 5; primary temporal single; external ear opening present, with 3 lobules on anterior margin; midbody scales in 28 rows; dorsal scales smooth, in 6 rows across the back; paravertebral scales 62, not widened; dorsum and tail base bronze with a light dorsolateral stripe from neck to hindlimb; upper lateral zone with dark brown stripe from nostril to anterior corner of eye and from posterior corner of eye to tail base; another light stripe running from nostril below the eye to tympanum and continuous to anterior groin. In addition, we discuss the validity of S. ochracea based on examination of type material, and we comment on the diversity of Vietnamese Scincella, the species number of which increased from four to currently nine within one year only.


Keywords


Scincella darevskii sp. nov.; S. ochracea; taxonomy; Vietnam; Dien Bien Province

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2010-17-4-269-274

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