Sphenomorphus dussumieri
Silhouette: Gopal Murali · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Sphenomorphus dussumieri, commonly known as Dussumier's forest skink and Dussumier's litter skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southern India. S. dussumieri is found in the Western Ghats of India, in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The specific name, dussumieri, is in honor of Jean-Jacques Dussumier, a French voyager who collected zoological specimens in South Asia in the early 19th century. It is locally known as "അരണ (arana)". The head of S. dussumieri is distinct from the neck, and the snout is short. The tympanum is situated on the surface, not sunk as in other skinks. The body is slender. The dorsal scales are smooth, with fine striations. The limbs are relatively short. The dorsum is bronze brown, with dark spots. There is a light dorso-lateral stripe running from the eye to the side of the body, its inner edge with a dark brown, white spotted streak. There is also a broad stripe on the sides that is edged with white below. The venter is creamy.
S. dussumieri is a diurnal skink, which inhabits evergreen, moist deciduous, and plantation forests... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India |
No species of the same family or order lives in Thiruvananthapuram, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Dussumier's Litter Skink sighting in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 5 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Dussumier's Litter Skink in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, against about 10% in January–March and May–July, the lowest months. That is one of Thiruvananthapuram's wettest months, with about 290 mm of rain against 15 mm in January.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Dussumier's Litter Skink sightings, Thiruvananthapuram has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Kochi (India, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dussumier's Litter Skink is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Thiruvananthapuram (16 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
