v9i1.225

Submitted date: 27 February 2020
Accepted date: 19 May 2020
Published date: 21 May 2020
Pp. 103–119, pls. 37–42.

A NEW SPECIES OF Lankascincus GREER, 1991 (REPTILIA : SCINCIDAE) WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE L. gansi GROUP

A. Suneth Kanishka, A. Dineth Danushka & A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: thasun@rccc.ui.ac.id

Abstract
Lankascincus gansi has been considered as a widespread single species, distributed in the wet bioclimatic zone of Sri Lanka (alt. below 1,100 m a.s.l.). After a thorough comparison of morphology and morphometry, we recognised two distinct populations from (i) high-elevations (1,000 m a.s.l.) of the Rakwana Hills and (ii) the south western lowland wet zone [mid-elevations (200–500 m a.s.l.) of the western slopes of the central highlands and the southwestern lowland (0–300 m a.s.l.)]. These are sufficiently different from one another that we restrict the name L. gansi to the lowland rainforest population, and assign a new name to the Rakwana Hills population. We provide a comprehensive re-description for L. gansi based on three topotypes collected from Udugama, Sri Lanka. Considering the lack of morphological distinctiveness and biogeographical isolation we here synonymise L. greeri[i] with [i]L. deignani. A key to the species of the genus Lankascincus is provided.

Key words : Central highlands, mid-elevation, rainforest, South Asia, systematics, taxonomy

Section Editor: Kanishka Ukuwela
LSID:urn:lsid:zoobank.org