Rediscovery of Vosmer ’ s Writhing Skink Lygosoma vosmaerii ( Gray , 1839 ) ( Reptilia : Scincidae ) with a note on its taxonomy

Acknowledgments: The authors are very much thankful to Sri Hitesh Malhotra, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, Hyderabad and Dr. V. B. Ramanamurthy, IFS, Member Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board, Hyderabad for constant encouragement and sustained support for biodiversity research. We express gratitude to Prof. T. Tirupathi Rao, Vice Chancellor, Osmania University, Hyderabad and the Head, Department of Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad for encouragement and facilities.


Material and Methods
We have been conducting herpetofaunal surveys in disturbed habitats of Andhra Pradesh to study the effects of habitat conversion on herpetofaunal assemblages since June, 2007.During one such study in areas adjacent to limestone quarries in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, on 11 January, 2009, an adult specimen of lined supple skink was collected from the vicinity of Jaggayyapet (16 0 52N & 80 0 05E).The collected specimen (NHM.OU.REP.1-2009;Image 1) is preserved in 70% alcohol and deposited in the Natural History Museum, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.Careful observation of the specimen revealed it to be Vosmers Writhing Skink Lygosoma vosmaerii (Gray, 1839).The morphometric measurements were taken using digital calipers and are given to the nearest 0.1mm.

Results
Diagnosis: The body of Lygosoma vosmaerii (Gray, 1839) is slender, much elongated with distinct 16 longitudinal lines on its dorsum (Image 1).Colour of the body is golden brown dorsally.The limbs are dark brownish above and paler below.The longitudinal lines are formed by the dark brown spots on the scales that are darker and prominent on the dorsum and faded on the venter.The four middle longitudinal lines form a spear-shaped marking anteriorly (Image 2), starting just behind the snout and continuing to the middle of the tail, which is red in colour (Image 1).
Snout obtusely pointed, supranasals entire, just touching one another behind the rostral; frontal smaller than the single large shield-like fronto-parietal.Lower eyelid with an undivided semitransparent disc.Seven upper labials, of which the fourth and fifth touch the eye.Ear opening is small and not covered by scales.Parietals touch each other behind the interparietal.Nuchals absent.Limbs very short with five fingers (Images 3 & 4) and four toes; the third toe being the largest.Digits with smooth subdigital lamellae.Preanals not enlarged.The morphometric and mersitic data of the specimen is provided in Table 1.
Habits and habitat: The habitat where the specimen was found is dry scrub forest interspersed with grass patches, termite mounds, ant hills and boulders.These conditions provide ample amounts of food source in the form of termites, ants and insects like grass-hoppers, stick-insects, etc.The specimen was found under a boulder.The surface of the soil under the rock had many cracks that allowed free movement and provided protection.
Prior to the rediscovery of L. vosmaerii (Gray, 1839) in eastern peninsular India from Jaggayapet, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, this taxon was seldom included in literature (see Das 2003).Recently, Vyas (2001) noted that one specimen of L. lineata (Gray, 1839) from Gujarat had five fingers on right hand and in agreement to Boulenger (1890) treated L. vosmaerii (Gray, 1839) as anomalous specimen of L. lineata (Gray, 1839) and proposed the synonymy of the former with the latter.The recent rediscovery clarifies the taxonomic status of L. vosmaerii (Gray, 1839) and future surveys in the Eastern Ghats and forests between the Godavari river basin and the Satpura-Maikal Hills might throw further light on the distribution and biology of Vosmers Writhing Skink.

Abbreviations:
Abbreviations: Measurements and morphometry: TBL -Total body length; SVL -Snout to vent length; TL -Tail length (from cloaca to tail tip); A-G -Axilla to groin distance; HL -Distance between angle of jaw and snout tip; DFL-ST -Distance from forelimb to snout tip; IN -Distance between nostrils; E-N -Eye to nostril distance; E-S -Eye to snout-tip distance; E-E -Ear opening to eye distance; ED -Greatest eye diameter; EL -Greatest length of ear opening; HW -Head width at angle of jaw; IO -Minimum distance between upper eyelids; FLL -Forelimb length; HLL -Hindlimb length; DO-SR -Dorsal scale rows (between nuchal and hind limb); BE-SR -Ventral scale rows (between fore and hind limbs).