First record of Takydromus sikkimensis Günther, 1888 (Squamata, Lacertidae) from Nepal

By

Gautam, Bivek
Bhattarai, Santosh
Kandel, Ram Chandra

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-8-8

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

35

Pages

159--163

Subjects

Biodiversity hotspot , central Himalayas , Chure , lizard , new records , Reptilia , Siwalik Hills

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.35.e89497

 

Abstract

We report the first record of Sikkim grass lizard, Takydromus sikkimensis Günther, 1888 in Nepal based on morphological characters such as the presence of four pairs of femoral pores, 12 rows of ventral scales, tail more than 3.6 times longer than snout-vent length. Our record of T. sikkimensis at Miklajung, Morang district represents the western-most observation of the species, ca. 94 km west of its type locality, Sikkim, India and is the first in Nepal for this species, genus, and family. This record is from Chure/Siwalik hill range which lies outside of Nepal’s protected area network. This species is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and warrants detailed inventory and immediate conservation interventions.