https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Barkudia_melanostictaBarkudia melanosticta - Revision history2026-07-31T19:08:11ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Barkudia_melanosticta&diff=489878&oldid=prevAnnaOgg388928 at 03:53, 16 December 20252025-12-16T03:53:24Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Species of lizard}}<br />
{{speciesbox<br />
| status = DD<br />
| status_system = IUCN3.1<br />
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Srinivasulu, C. |author2=Srinivasulu, B. |author3=Das, I. |date=2013 |title=''Barkudia melanosticta'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T174129A1413063 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T174129A1413063.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> <br />
| genus = Barkudia<br />
| species = melanosticta<br />
| authority = ([[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider]], 1801)<br />
| range_map = Barkudia melanosticta distribution (colored).png<br />
| synonyms = *''Anguis melanostictus'' <br />{{small|Schneider, 1801}}<br />
*''Barkudia melanosticta'' <br />{{small|— [[:fr:Indraneil Das|Das]], 1999}}<br />
| synonyms_ref =<ref>"''Barkudia melanosticta'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.</ref><br />
}}<br />
'''''Barkudia melanosticta''''' [[Common name|commonly]] known as '''Visakhapatnam limbless skink''' or '''Russell's legless skink''' is a [[skink]] [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Vishakapatnam]] region of Circar Coast, in [[Andhra Pradesh]] state of southeastern [[India]]. One of the foremost of Indian reptiles collected during the days of [[Patrick Russell (herpetologist)|Patrick Russell]] in 1790s, this species' [[type specimen]] was considered lost. Later its [[taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] was fixed by redescribing recent collections dating between 1950s-80s by professors of [[Andhra University]], [[Waltair]] from their campus, and deposited in the [[Zoological Survey of India]] in [[Kolkata]], [[India]] (''fide'' I. Das).<br />
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==Geographic range==<br />
''B. melanosticta'' is known only from the vicinity of its [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] - [[Visakhapatnam]] in the Indian state of [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref name=Das>[[:fr:Indraneil Das|Das I]] (1999). [https://archive.org/stream/asiaticherpetolo08asia#page/16/mode/1up "''Anguis melanostictus'' SCHNEIDER, 1801, a valid species of ''Barkudia'' (Sauria: Scincidae) from southeastern India"]. ''Asiatic Herpetol. Research'' '''8''': 13-17. (''Barkudia melanosticta'', new combination).</ref><br />
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==Description==<br />
A burrowing species, ''B. melanosticta'' has an elongated body, with no legs. The eyes are vestigial, with only lower eyelids. The ear openings are slit-like. It may attain a snout-to-vent length of {{convert|16.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}, plus a tail {{convert|6.8|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=Das/><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
*[[Albert Günther|Günther ACLG]] (1864). ''The Reptiles of British India''. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. ("''Anguis melanosticta'' [sic]", p. 95).<br />
*[[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider JG]] (1801). ''Historiae Amphibiorum naturalis et literariae. Fasciculus secundus continens Crocodilos, Scincos, Chamaesauras, Boas, Pseudoboas, Elapes, Angues, Amphisbaenas et Caecilias.'' Jena: F. Fromman. vi + 364 pp. + Plates I-II. (''Anguis melanostictus'', new species, pp. 323-324). (in Latin).<br />
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q2884613}}<br />
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[[Category:Barkudia]]<br />
[[Category:Lizards of India]]<br />
[[Category:Endemic reptiles of India]]<br />
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider]]<br />
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1801]]<br />
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