A new species of<i>Scincella</i>(Squamata: Scincidae) from Vietnam

Abstract

We describe a new species of Scincella similar to Sphenomorphus tridigitus based on a single specimen from Lang Son Province, northeastern Vietnam. The new species differs from the latter by presence of lower eyelids with undivided opaque window, forelimbs with five digits, and by absence of prefrontals. Scincella apraefrontalis sp. n. is distinguished from all other species of Scincella and all other Asian limbreduced lygosomines by a combination of the following characters: no supranasals; no prefrontals; nasal and first supralabial fused; six supralabials; lower eyelid with undivided opaque disc; no external ear openings; 18 midbody scale rows; and pentadactyl limbs.