title: Lankascincus taylori
text: # Lankascincus taylori
  
  Lankascincus taylori, commonly known as Taylor's tree skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  The specific name, taylori, is in honor of American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor.
  
  ## Habitat and Geographic range
  
  A montane representative of Lanka skinks, L. taylori is found in moist leaf litter, under stones and logs in forests, at elevations from 470–1,350 m (1,540–4,430 ft) above sea level, at Sinharaja, Knuckles Mountain Range, Gampola, Hantana, and Udawatta Kele.
  
  ## Description
  
  The head, body, and tail of L. taylori are long and slender. The midbody scales are in 24-26 rows. The lamellae under the fourth toe number 12-18. The dorsum is chocolate brown. Each dorsal scale has a dark gray horseshoe mark, which is open-ended posteriorly. A dark brown flank band can be seen with blue spots. The throat is grayish with blue spots. The venter is yellow.
  
  ## Diet
  
  The diet of L. taylori includes insects.
  
  ## Reproduction
  
  Sexually mature females of L. taylori usually lay 2 eggs at a time.
  
  