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A
guide to the Reptiles of Sri Lanka - SriLankaReptile.com
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Order Squamata ;
Suborder Sauria
Family Lacertidae (Snake-eye lizards)
Two endemic
subspecies of lizards of the little known family Lacertidae inhabit
the country. Very little work has been done on their natural history
in the country. The common English term ‘snake-eye lizards’ is due
to the presence of a transparent eye disk, which gives the appearance
of a snake. They are very similar to scincids, but the body scales
does not contain osteoderms (vs. with strong osteoderms in skinks)
and the ventral scales are much larger than the dorsals (vs. subequal in skinks). They are terrestrial, grassland inhabitants and
can run at amazing speeds. Ophisops leschenaultii is mainly
restricted to the northern and eastern dry grasslands (eg. Galoya, Nilgala, Udawalawe, Jaffna, Mullativu etc.) but Ophisops minor has a wider distribution
in the dry zone of the country and even
inhabits the Uva pathanas.
Genus Ophisops Menetreis, 1832
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Ophisops minor minor (Deraniyagala, 1971); Lesser snake-eye
lizard (E); Kuda sarpakshi katussa (S)
Endemic
sub-species
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Ophisops
leschenaultii lankae (Deraniyagala, 1953); Leschenault’s snake-eye lizard (E); Panduru
sarpakshi katussa (S)
Endemic
sub-species
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