Takydromus sexlineatus (Oriental Long-tailed Grass Lizard)

The common name of this Skink Lizard in English is commonly called Asian Grass Lizard, Oriental Long-tailed Grass Lizard, Oriental Long-tailed Racerunner, Six-striped Long-tailed Lizard and Thai name called กิ้งก่าน้อยหางยาว (Ging-gaa noi hang yaow), จิ้งเหลนน้อยหางยาว (Djing-len noi hang yaow), สางห่า (Sang-ha), งูคา (Ngoo-ka).

Takydromus sexlineatus, Asian Grass Lizard, กิ้งก่าน้อยหางยาว
Source: thainationalparks.com; Takydromus sexlineatus Daudin, 1802. Photo by Thai National Parks. (CC-BY-SA)

กิ้งก่าน้อยหางยาว : Takydromus sexlineatus Daudin, 1802

Takydromus sexlineatus is a species of the Grass Lizard Genus (Takydromus) within the True Lizard Family (Lacertidae), Superfamily Scincomorpha, in the Lizard and Snake Order (Squamata), in the Reptile Class (Reptilia), in the Chordate Phylum (Chordata) in the Animal Kingdom (Animalia).

Published in Daudin, F. M. Histoire Naturelle, génerale et particulièredes reptiles, ouvrage faisant suite, a l'histoiure naturelle, générale et particulière composée par LECLERC DE BUFFON, et redigée par C. S. SONNINI, vol. 3. F. Dufart, Paris, 452 pp. (1802).

Subspecies

  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1829) ; (Range: S China, Hainan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, N Burma, N Malaysia.)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus sexlineatus Daudin, 1802.
    • ; (Range: India, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysian Peninsula, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo))

Geographic Range

This widely distributed species occurs throughout Southeast Asia. The subspecies Takydromus sexlineatus sexlineatus is found from India to Indonesia. Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus is found in central Asia, ranging from southern China to Viet Nam.

Habitat and Ecology

This species is a grassland specialist. Its typical habitat is high grasslands, however, it is also reported to inhabit areas of sparse vegetation in clearings, at the edge of forests, and in open plantation (Ziegler et al. 1999).

This species can be kept in captivity, but does not form a significant part of the pet trade. Any harvesting of this species does not constitute a major threat.

The tail length is usually over 300% of snout–vent length in this species, the longest tail (relative to snout-vent length) of any lizard!

Synonym

  • Takydromus sexlineatus François Marie Daudin (1802)
  • Takydromus quadrilineatus François Marie Daudin (1802)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville (1829)
  • Tachydromus ocellatus Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville (1829)
  • Tachydromus typus John Edward Gray (1838)
  • Tachydromus sexlineatus André Marie Constant Duméril & Gabriel Bibron (1839)
  • Tachydromus sexlineatus var. aenofuscus Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters (1863)
  • Tachydromus meridionalis Albert Charles Lewis Günther (1864)
  • Tachydromus sexlineatus Nelly de Rooij (1915)
  • Tachydromus kwangsiensis Ernst Ahl (1930)
  • Tachydromus kwangsiensis Christoph Gustav Ernst Ahl (1930)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus sexlineatus Malcolm Arthur Smith (1935)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus Malcolm Arthur Smith (1935)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus meridionalis Glass (1946)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus Edward Harrison Taylor (1963)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus Ulrich Manthey & Wolfgang Grossmann (1997)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus Merel J. Cox et al. (1998)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus Uwe Schlüter (2003)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus Edwin Nicholas Arnold et al. (2007)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus Vladimir V. Bobrov & Dmitry V. Semenov (2008)
  • Takydromus sexlineatus ocellatus Alexandre Teynié et al. (2010)