Scincella fansipanensis Okabe, Motokawa, Koizumi, Nguyen, Nguyen & Bui, 2024

Xu, Yuhao, Liao, Chencan, Poyarkov, Nikolay, Weng, Shiyang, Deng, Jundong, Bragin, Andrei, Zhang, Tierui, Tan, Nguyen Van & Peng, Lifang, 2025, First record of Scincella fansipanensis Okabe, Motokawa, Koizumi, Nguyen, Nguyen & Bui, 2024 (Squamata, Scincidae) from China, Biodiversity Data Journal 13, pp. e 161782-e 161782 : e161782-

Scincella fansipanensis Okabe, Motokawa, Koizumi, Nguyen, Nguyen & Bui, 2024

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QHU R 2025004 ; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; disposition: in collection; occurrenceID: 4C7A8AF2-11A7-59C8-8FF7-44C583BB8B00; Taxon: scientificName: Scincella fansipanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Scincidae ; genus: Scincella ; specificEpithet: fansipanensis ; vernacularName: Fansipan ground skink; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan Province; county: Jingdong Yi Autonomous County; locality: Ailao Mountain ; verbatimElevation: 2,480 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24.5419°N, 101.0294°E; Event: eventDate: April 2025; fieldNumber: LFR 2025038

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QHU R 2025005 ; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; disposition: in collection; occurrenceID: 58FD12E2-4399-5F52-80A8-4AED0A49D441; Taxon: scientificName: Scincella fansipanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Scincidae ; genus: Scincella ; specificEpithet: fansipanensis ; vernacularName: Fansipan ground skink; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan Province; county: Jingdong Yi Autonomous County; locality: Ailao Mountain ; verbatimElevation: 2,480 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24.5419°N, 101.0294°E; Event: eventDate: April 2025; fieldNumber: LFR 2025039

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QHU R 2025006 ; lifeStage: juvenile; disposition: in collection; occurrenceID: 3F8FC54C-1F44-5822-98D2-F4CD5091A120; Taxon: scientificName: Scincella fansipanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Scincidae ; genus: Scincella ; specificEpithet: fansipanensis ; vernacularName: Fansipan ground Skink; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan Province; county: Jingdong Yi Autonomous County; locality: Ailao Mountain ; verbatimElevation: 2,480 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24.5419°N, 101.0294°E; Event: eventDate: April 2025; fieldNumber: LFR 2025040

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: QHU R 2025007 ; lifeStage: juvenile; disposition: in collection; occurrenceID: 4F3ED89C-2572-5C1F-90B2-CEAAE8F2F235; Taxon: scientificName: Scincella fansipanensis ; order: Squamata; family: Scincidae ; genus: Scincella ; specificEpithet: fansipanensis ; vernacularName: Fansipan ground skink; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan Province; county: Jingdong Yi Autonomous County; locality: Ailao Mountain ; verbatimElevation: 2,480 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24.5419°N, 101.0294°E; Event: eventDate: April 2025; fieldNumber: LFR 2025041

Suggested common names

We suggest “黄连山滑蜥” (Huáng Lián Shān Hua ́Xī) as the Chinese common name and “Fansipanskiy malyi stsink” (Фансипанский малый сцинк) as the Russian common name.

Description of the specimens from China (n = 4)

The measurements and scalation features of the specimens are listed in Table 2 . Size medium (SVL 30.1–51.5 mm, n = 4); tail relatively long, TAL / SVL ratio 1.78 in the only specimen with an original tail ( QHU R 2025006 ). Axilla-groin distance 16.5–30.1 mm, AGD / SVL ratio 0.55–0.59. Head elongated, indistinct from the neck (HL 1 5.72–9.03 mm, HL 2 5.18–7.82 mm, HW 4.00– 5.29 mm, HH 2.83–4.69 mm). Snout short, obtuse, round anteriorly (ESD 1.57–2.39 mm, EN 1.06–1.93 mm). Eye large (ED 1.52–2.15 mm); lower eyelid with an undivided transparent palpebral disc (window) (PDD 0.58–0.89 mm). Ear oval; tympanum recessed and distinctly larger than the palpebral disc (EL 1.04–1.58 mm, EL / PDD ratio 1.73–1.93). Limbs relatively short, toes nearly touching fingers when limbs are adpressed (FLL 5.39–8.90 mm, HLL 7.02–12.02 mm, F 4 L 1.44–1.95 mm, T 4 L 2.02–3.57 mm, FLL / SVL ratio 0.16–0.18, HLL / SVL ratio 0.22–0.26). Digits moderately long and slender, each ending in a clearly visible, slightly curved claw.

Head scalation

Head scales smooth. Rostral convex, wider than high, distinctly visible from above, in contact with the first supralabials, nasals and frontonasal; supranasals absent; frontonasal single, approximately boat-shaped, with a width about twice its height, in contact with the rostral, nasals, anterior loreals, prefrontals and frontal; prefrontals two, not in contact with each other, separated medially by the frontal; frontal slender, longer than wide, diamond-shaped, in contact laterally with the first superciliary and the first and second supraoculars; a pair of frontoparietals in contact anteriorly, bordered by the frontal, second to fourth supraoculars, interparietal and parietals; interparietal diamond-shaped, width less than height; parietals large, in contact posteriorly, posterolateral margins bordered by the upper secondary temporals and enlarged nuchals; enlarged nuchals 2–4.

Nostril oval, situated centrally within the nasal; nasal entire, diamond-shaped, with width approximately equal to height, in contact with the rostral, frontonasal, first loreal and the first supralabial; loreals two, subequal in size; supraoculars 4 / 4, first contacting the frontal, second the largest, in contact with both the frontal and frontoparietals, third and fourth contacting the frontoparietals; superciliaries six (rarely five), with the first being the largest; palpebral disc bordered by a series of small scales; temporals arranged 1 + 2, anterior temporal subrectangular, upper secondary temporal the largest, lower secondary temporal smaller and broadly contacting the upper; supralabials 7 / 7, first the smallest, fifth positioned below the eye, sixth the largest.

Mental wider than long, round anteriorly, in contact with the first infralabials and the postmental; postmental large, subpentagonal, in contact the mental, the first two infralabials on each side and the first pair of chin shields; infralabials 6 / 6, first the smallest, fifth and sixth the largest; three pairs of chin shields, the first pair in medial contact, the second pair separated by one gular scale and the third pair separated by three gulars scales; gulars 19–22 (Fig. 2 ).

Body scalation

Body scales smooth, 22–24 rows around mid-body; distinctly larger dorsally than laterally and slightly larger than ventrals; paravertebral scale series composed of 64–71 scales; dorsal scales between dorsolateral stripes arranged as 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2. Ventral scales slightly enlarged medially, decreasing in size towards the flanks, ventral scale rows (excluding gulars) 48–52, GS + VS 70–74; medial pair of precloacal scales enlarged, with the left overlapping the right. Tail complete; tail scales imbricate and generally uniform in shape, except for the markedly widened subcaudals. Limbs pentadactyl; dorsal surface of fingers and toes covered with two interdigitating scale rows; subdigital lamellae 7–8 beneath finger IV and 10–12 beneath toe IV (Fig. 3 ).

Colouration in life

The dorsal surface of the head is olive-brown, scattered with small, irregular dark spots; the head scales are margined with dark brown. Upper lateral margins of the head also olive-brown, gradually fading to light brown towards the lower sides and bearing slightly larger, irregular dark spots. Ventral surface of the head is creamy-white, scattered with irregular dark blotches.

The dorsal surface of the body and tail is olive-brown, scattered with small, irregular dark spots. Distinct dark dorsolateral stripes with relatively straight upper edges extend from the tip of the snout, are interrupted at the eye, resume posterior to the eye and continue along the flanks above the fore-limbs and hind-limbs, reaching the tail; and these stripes cover approximately 1.5–2 scale rows on the trunk. Ground colour of the upper flanks brown, gradually transitioning ventrally to a light brownish-yellow and scattered with black spots. Ventral surface of the trunk yellow, sometimes with dark spots, these spots being more concentrated laterally and along the junction between the flanks and ventral surface, but becoming sparse or absent toward the mid-line of the belly. Anterior portion the ventral tail pale yellow, gradually transitioning to grey or grey-white posteriorly, with scattered black spots (Fig. 4 ).

Colouration in preservation

After one month in ethanol, the colouration remains generally similar to that in life, except that the ground colour of the lower flanks and ventral surface of the trunk has turned creamy-white and the ventral surface of the tail has become completely greyish-white (Figs 2 , 5 ).

Variation

Compared to the type series from Vietnam, the Chinese specimens are nearly identical in colouration, except that most individuals possess dark spots on the ventral surface of the trunk. In terms of morphometric and scalation characters, the two populations are also highly similar, except that the Chinese population exhibits a higher number of ventral and gular scales combined (VS + GS 70–74 vs. 58–64) and relatively shorter fore-limbs (FLL / SVL ratio 0.16–0.18 vs. 0.19–0.22).

Revised diagnosis

(1) size medium within genus Scincella (SVL up to 59.0 mm and AGD up to 36.5 mm); (2) mid-body scale rows 22–24; (3) paravertebral scale rows 60–71; (4) VS + GS 58–74; (5) prefrontals separated from each other; (6) supraciliaries 5–6; (7) supralabials 6–7; (8) infralabials 6; (9) nuchals 2–6; (10) ear opening present, tympanum deeply sunk, without lobules; (11) 7–9 enlarged lamellae beneath finger IV and 10–12 beneath toe IV; (12) toes not in contact with fingers when limbs adpressed; (13) the dark dorsolateral stripes with relatively straight upper edge, covering about 1.5–2.5 scale rows on the trunk, with four scale rows in between on the dorsum; (14) dorsal surface of body olive-brown, scattered with irregularly-shaped dark sports (data from Okabe et al. (2024) and this study).

Distribution and natural history notes

Scincella fansipanensis is currently known from the type locality in Hoang Lien Son Range, Lao Cai Province, north-western Vietnam and from Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, Pu’er City, central Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 1 ). All specimens from Mt. Ailao were collected in April 2025 at an elevation of 2,480 m a. s. l., in grassy areas along the forest edge (Fig. 6 ). The surrounding habitat consists of well-preserved broadleaf forest. During the survey, daytime temperatures averaged approximately 25 ° C, dropping to about 18 ° C at night.

Field observations suggest that these skinks prefer areas with lower canopy cover, such as forest gaps or ecotones between forest and human settlements. These habitats areas are typically more open, receive greater sunlight during the day and support dense herbaceous vegetation that offers ample shelter. In contrast, individuals were rarely encountered in densely shaded forest interiors where minimal light reaches the ground.

Figures

Figure 1. Map showing the new record in China (red circle) and the type locality of Scincella fansipanensis (red star) in Vietnam.

Figure 2. Scincella fansipanensis (QHU R 2025004, adult male) from Yunnan, China, after one month in ethanol preservation - dorsal (A) and ventral view (B) of the whole body; dorsal (C), ventral (D), right (E) and left (F) view of the head. Photographs by Y. H. Xu. Scale bars: 10 mm.

Figure 3. Dorsal (A), lateral (B) and ventral (C) views of the body; (D) ventral view of the hand; (E) ventral view of the foot of Scincella fansipanensis (QHU R 2025004) from Yunnan, China, after one month in ethanol preservation. Photographs by Yuhao Xu. Scale bars in A – C: 10 mm, and D – E: 2 mm.

Figure 4. Scincella fansipanensis (QHU R 2025004, adult male) from Yunnan, China in life - dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. Photographs by Y. H. Xu.

Figure 5. Colouration of additional specimens of Scincella fansipanensis from Yunnan, China, after one month in ethanol preservation. A QHU R 2025005, adult male; B QHU R 2025006, juvenile; C QHU R 2025007, juvenile. Photographs by Y. H. Xu. Scale bars: 10 mm.

Figure 6. Habitat of Scincella fansipanensis in Mt. Ailao, Yunnan, China. Photograph by C. C. Liao.