identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
FEAFFE4E1D0C5C11BF223FF4EE8A6270.text	FEAFFE4E1D0C5C11BF223FF4EE8A6270.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Scincella gigas Xu, Deng, Qi, Ma, Zhang, Cai, Nguyen, Poyarkov & Peng 2026	<div><p>Scincella gigas Xu, Deng, Qi, Ma, Zhang, Cai, Nguyen, Poyarkov &amp; Peng sp. nov.</p><p>Table 1, Figs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7</p><p>Holotype.</p><p>• QHU R 2026003 (Field No. LFR 2026046), adult female, from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=100.396&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=25.645" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 100.396/lat 25.645)">Fengyi Town</a>, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China (25.645°N, 100.396°E; elevation 2,790 m a. s. l.), collected by J. D. Deng and H. Q. Wang on 30 May 2026.</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Scincella gigas sp. nov. represents the largest known member of the genus Scincella, with the adult female holotype attaining an SVL of 125 mm and TL exceeding 316 mm. The new species can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) exceptionally large body size, with the adult female holotype attaining an SVL of 125 mm; (2) three prefrontal scales; (3) six supraciliaries; (4) seven supralabials, separated from the eye by a row of small scales; (5) six infralabials; (6) tympanum deeply recessed and lacking lobules, with the tympanum diameter exceeding that of the palpebral disc (TD / PDD ratio 1.45); (7) three pairs of chin shields, with the third pair separated medially by four small scales; (8) 28 midbody scale rows; (9) total ventral + gular scale rows numbering 81; (10) 80 paravertebral scale rows; (11) relatively short limbs, with toes not in contact with fingers when the limbs are adpressed (FLL + HLL / AGD ratio 0.57); (12) 9–10 enlarged subdigital lamellae beneath Finger IV and 13 beneath Toe IV; and (13) in life, dorsum brown, with relatively broad dorsolateral stripes bearing distinctly serrated margins.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet “ gigas ” is derived from the Latinized form of the Greek noun γ ῐ ́ γ ᾱ ς (gígas), meaning “ giant. ” The name refers to the exceptional size of the new species, which represents the largest known member of the genus Scincella . In reference to this remarkable characteristic, “ Giant Ground Skink ” is proposed as the English common name, “ гигантский малый сцинк ” (gigantskiy malyi stsink) as the Russian common name, and “ 巨滑蜥 ” (Pinyin: jù huá xī) as the Chinese common name for the new species.</p><p>Description of the holotype.</p><p>Adult female in good condition. Size exceptionally large (SVL 125 mm); tail incomplete but relatively long (TAL 191 + mm), with the posterior portion regenerated; axilla-groin distance 83 mm (AGD / SVL ratio 0.66). Head moderately elongate, indistinct from the neck (HL 1 17.9 mm, HL 2 13.8 mm, HW 10.8 mm, HH 9.5 mm). Snout short, blunt, and rounded anteriorly (SNL 5.9 mm). Eye relatively large (ED 3.7 mm); lower eyelid with an undivided translucent palpebral disc (PDD 1.5 mm). Ear opening oval; tympanum distinctly and deeply recessed, lacking lobules; ear opening larger than palpebral disc (TD 2.2 mm, TD / PDD ratio 1.45). Limbs relatively short; fingers and toes widely separated when adpressed (FLL 19.5 mm, HLL 28.0 mm; FLL / SVL ratio 0.16; HLL / SVL ratio 0.22; FLL + HLL / AGD ratio 0.57). Digits relatively short (F 4 L 4.3 mm, T 4 L 7.3 mm), each terminating in a claw, although nearly all claws are worn or broken. Relative digit lengths of the manus: IV = III&gt; II&gt; V&gt; I, and of the pes: IV&gt; III&gt; V&gt; II&gt; I.</p><p>Head scalation (Fig. 3). Head scales smooth. Rostral convex, wider than high, distinctly visible from above, in contact with the 1 st supralabials, nasals, and frontonasal; supranasals absent. Frontonasal single, approximately trapezoidal in shape, width ~ 2 × the height, in contact with the rostral, nasals, anterior loreals, prefrontals and frontal. Prefrontals three, arranged in a single transverse row; lateral scales larger, median scale smaller and broadly contacting both lateral scales. Frontal slender, distinctly longer than wide, approximately triangular in shape; the left and right anterior corners contacting the first superciliary (the contact nearly interrupted by the first supraocular and prefrontal), lateral margins contacting the first and second supraoculars, and posteriorly contacting the left frontoparietal. A pair of frontoparietals, in broad contact with each other. Interparietal diamond-shaped, width slightly less than height; parietals large, in contact posteriorly, posterolateral border surrounded by the upper secondary temporals and enlarged nuchals. Enlarged nuchals 5 / 4; first pair slightly narrower than the posterior nuchals; the area corresponding to the fourth enlarged nuchal on the left side represented on the right side by three normal-sized dorsal scales arranged in a staggered pattern and therefore not counted as enlarged nuchals; the corresponding position of the fifth enlarged nuchal on the left side represented by a typical enlarged nuchal on the right side.</p><p>Nostril oval, located at the center of the nasal; nasal entire, diamond-shaped, width approximately equal to height, in contact with the rostral, frontonasal, 1 st loreal, and 1 st supralabial. Loreals 2 / 2, subequal in size. Supraoculars 4 / 4, the 1 st contacts the frontal, the 2 nd is the largest and contacts both the frontal and frontoparietal, and the 3 rd and 4 th contact the frontoparietal. Superciliaries 6 / 6, the 1 st is the largest. Palpebral disc present. Primary temporal one, and secondary temporals two on each side (TEMP 1 + 2 / 1 + 2). The upper secondary temporal (UST) is the largest, while the lower secondary temporal (LST) is smaller, slightly overlaps the UST, and is in broad contact with it. Supralabials 7 / 7; 1 st smallest, 6 th and 7 th largest.</p><p>Mental wider than long, round anteriorly, in contact with the 1 st infralabial and postmental. Postmental large, subpentagonal, and much wider than high, contacting the mental, the first two infralabials on each side, and the first pair of chin shields. Infralabials 6 / 6, 1 st smallest, 5 th largest. Three pairs of chin shields, the first pair in contact medially, the second pair separated by one gular scale, and the third pair separated by four gulars.</p><p>Body scalation (Fig. 4). Body scalation smooth; scales around midbody in 28 rows, nearly equal in size. The paravertebral scale series is composed of 80 scales. Dorsal scales between the dorsolateral stripes at midbody 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2. Ventral scale rows (including gulars) 81. Medial pair of precloacal scales distinctly enlarged, the left one overlapping the right one. Tail incomplete; tail scales on the original portion imbricate and generally uniform in shape, except for the markedly widened subcaudals. Limbs pentadactyl; the dorsal surfaces of fingers IV and toes IV covered by two interdigitating rows of scales; however, the distal three scales on the left finger IV, the distal two scales on the right finger IV, and the distal two scales on toe IV are arranged in a single row. 10 / 9 enlarged lamellae beneath finger IV and 13 / 13 beneath toe IV.</p><p>Coloration of the holotype in life (Fig. 5). In life, dorsal surface of head brown, scattered with several large, irregular black blotches. Lateral surfaces of head light brown and immaculate. Dorsum of body and tail brown, with a median series of large, irregular black blotches extending posteriorly from the neck; these blotches are loosely arranged in a longitudinal row and accompanied by a few smaller irregular black spots along their sides. The black markings extend onto the tail, where they become denser and more irregular. A relatively broad dark dorsolateral stripe present on each side of body. Margins of stripe distinctly serrated, with an irregular white blotch present in each indentation along the upper margin. Width of stripe variable, generally corresponding to one to two dorsal scale rows. Stripe originating at tip of snout, extending posteriorly through middle portion of nasal and along upper margin of loreal; interrupted at eye, reappearing behind orbit, and continuing along the lateral side of the body, above the forelimb and hindlimb insertions, to the posterior portion of the tail.</p><p>Ground color of flanks pale brown to flesh-brown, gradually fading ventrally. Several small white spots and a few scattered black spots present below dorsolateral stripe. Lateral surfaces of the tail are greyish brown, densely covered with irregular black spots, and bear white spots arranged in a series of regular transverse rows. The white rows are approximately equal in width and spacing, giving the tail sides a distinct black-and-white banded pattern.</p><p>Dorsal and lateral surfaces of limbs brown, scattered with irregular black spots; ventral surfaces creamy yellowish-white and immaculate.</p><p>Ventral surface of head creamy white; mental slightly darker, light brown. A number of small black spots present on ventral surfaces of head, including the infralabials. On the ventral surface of neck, these spots are concentrated laterally and become progressively fewer toward the middle, disappearing completely on the ventral surfaces of body. Ventral surfaces of body creamy yellow and immaculate. Anterior portion of tail venter creamy yellow and immaculate; posteriorly becoming gray, with irregular black spots appearing progressively. Posterior tail venter dark gray.</p><p>Coloration of the holotype in preservation (Fig. 6). As the specimen had been preserved for less than one month at the time of description, its overall coloration remained largely similar to that in life. However, the lateral surfaces of the body became paler, and the white spots on the flanks, including those associated with the dark dorsolateral stripes, became faded and indistinct. The ventral surfaces gradually changed to creamy white.</p><p>Distribution, natural history, and conservation status.</p><p>Scincella gigas sp. nov. is currently known only from its type locality in Fengyi Town, Dali City, Dali BAP, Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 1), at an elevation of approximately 2,790 m a. s. l. The surrounding habitat consists primarily of montane mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests and alpine meadows (Fig. 7 A, B). Information on the ecology and behavior of the new species remains extremely limited. The only known holotype (QHU R 2026003) was discovered in an artificial concrete water reservoir, into which it had apparently fallen before collection (Fig. 7 C). At the time of discovery, the individual was severely weakened and almost incapable of normal locomotion. The claws on both the forelimbs and hindlimbs were extensively worn or broken (Fig. 4 D, E), suggesting prolonged attempts to escape from the reservoir. The specimen was encountered in the morning under clear weather conditions, with relatively high humidity and an ambient temperature of approximately 21 ° C. Available observations suggest that Scincella gigas sp. nov. may be uncommon at its currently known locality. Despite several consecutive years of field surveys in the area, only a single individual was encountered. Owing to the lack of comprehensive information on its distribution, population size and trends, habitat requirements, and potential threats, Scincella gigas sp. nov. is provisionally assessed as Data Deficient (DD) following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2024). Additional field surveys are needed to clarify its distributional range, population status, ecology, and conservation needs.</p><p>Comparisons.</p><p>Morphologically, Scincella gigas sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from all other currently recognized Asian congeners of Scincella, including S. alia, S. apraefrontalis Nguyen, Nguyen, Böhme &amp; Ziegler, 2010, S. auranticaudata Nguyen, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, Phan, Vo, Murphy &amp; Che, 2025, S. badenensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen &amp; Murphy, 2019, S. balluca Bragin, Zenin, Le, Nguyen, Nguyen, Bobrov &amp; Poyarkov, 2025, S. baraensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen &amp; Murphy, 2020, S. barbouri (Stejneger, 1925), S. boettgeri, S. chengduensis, S. darevskii Nguyen, Ananjeva, Orlov, Rybaltovsky &amp; Böhme, 2010, S. devorator, S. doriae (Boulenger, 1887), S. dunan, S. fansipanensis, S. formosensis (Van Denburgh, 1912), S. honbaensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, Phan, Vo, Murphy &amp; Che, 2025, S. heishuiensis Liu, Pu, Tan, Chen, Lyu, Shu, Wu, Dong &amp; Guo, 2026, S. huanrenensis Zhao &amp; Huang, 1982, S. jinchuanensis Liu, Pu, Tan, Chen, Cai, Lyu, Shu, Wu &amp; Guo, 2026, S. liangshanensis Jia, Gao, Wu, Ren, Jiang &amp; Wu, 2024, S. maerkangensis Liu, Pu, Tan, Chen, Cai, Lyu, Shu, Wu &amp; Guo, 2026, S. melanosticta (Boulenger, 1887), S. modesta, S. monticola, S. ngati Pham, Do, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen, Le, Le, Ziegler &amp; Pham, 2026, S. nigrofasciata Neang, Chan &amp; Poyarkov, 2018, S. ochracea, S. ouboteri Pham, Pham, Le, Ngo, Ziegler &amp; Nguyen, 2024, S. potanini, S. przewalskii (Bedriaga, 1912), S. punctatolineata (Boulenger, 1893), S. qianica, S. rara (Darevsky &amp; Orlov, 1997), S. reevesii, S. rufocaudata, S. rupicola (Smith, 1916), S. schmidti (Barbour, 1927), S. tenuistriata, S. truongi, S. tsinlingensis (Hu &amp; Zhao, 1966), S. vandenburghi (Schmidt, 1927), S. verecunda Xu, Nguyen, Deng, Zhang, Sun, Liu, Poyarkov &amp; Peng, 2026, S. victoriana (Shreve, 1940), and S. vuquangensis Pham, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, Nguyen, Hoang &amp; Nguyen, 2026, by its exceptionally large body size (SVL 125 mm vs. maximum SVL &lt;100 mm in all aforementioned species) and three prefrontal scales (vs. two in all aforementioned species, except for S. apraefrontalis, which lacks prefrontals).</p><p>Furthermore, the new species differs from Scincella alia by having PVSR 80 (vs. 56–63) and VSR 81 (vs. 66–76); from S. apraefrontalis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 18) and PVSR 80 (vs. 52); from S. auranticaudata by having MBSR 28 (vs. 34–36) and PVSR 80 (vs. 67–74); from S. badenensis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 32–36) and PVSR 80 (vs. 67–71); from S. balluca by having MBSR 28 (vs. 30–32) and PVSR 80 (vs. 62–66); from S. baraensis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 30) and PVSR 80 (vs. 66–70); from S. barbouri by having PVSR 80 (vs. 70–79) and LT 4 13 (vs. 14–17); from S. boettgeri by having PVSR 80 (vs. 55–73) and VSR 81 (vs. 51–72); from S. chengduensis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 23) and PVSR 80 (vs. 57–60); from S. darevskii by having PVSR 80 (vs. 62) and VSR 81 (vs. 65); from S. devorator by having PVSR 80 (vs. 63–68) and VSR 81 (vs. 61–66); from S. doriae by having PVSR 80 (vs. 66–76) and LT 4 13 (vs. 16–18); from S. dunan by having PVSR 80 (vs. 57–70) and VSR 81 (vs. 55–67); from S. fansipanensis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 22–24), PVSR 80 (vs. 60–71), and VSR 81 (vs. 58–74); from S. formosensis by having PVSR 80 (vs. 53–65) and VSR 81 (vs. 57–70); from S. honbaensis by having PVSR 80 (vs. 64) and VSR 81 (vs. 73); from S. heishuiensis by having PVSR 80 (vs. 60–69) and VSR 81 (vs. 64–67); from S. huanrenensis by having DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2 (vs. 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2) and a relatively longer tail, with TAL / SVL exceeding 1.53 (vs. 1.25–1.36); from S. jinchuanensis by having LT 4 13 (vs. 17–18) and a serrated upper margin of the dark lateral stripe (vs. straight); from S. liangshanensis by having MBSR 28 (vs. 23–27) and DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2 (vs. 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2); from S. maerkangensis by having PVSR 80 (vs. 58–67) and DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2 (vs. 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2); from S. melanosticta by having MBSR 28 (vs. 34–37), PVSR 80 (vs. 63–76), and VSR 81 (vs. 63–72); from S. modesta by having PVSR 80 (vs. 51–69); from S. monticola by having MBSR 28 (vs. 23–25) and VSR 81 (vs. 67–77); from S. ngati by having MBSR 28 (vs. 32–34), PVSR 80 (vs. 68–70), and VSR 81 (vs. 64–68); from S. nigrofasciata by having MBSR 28 (vs. 32–33) and PVSR 80 (vs. 69–74); from S. ochracea by having MBSR 28 (vs. 30–32) and PVSR 80 (vs. 61–67); from S. ouboteri by having MBSR 28 (vs. 30–32) and PVSR 80 (vs. 65–73); from S. potanini by having MBSR 28 (vs. 24–27) and PVSR 80 (vs. 69–73); from S. przewalskii by having MBSR 28 (vs. 32–34) and LT 4 13 (vs. 17); from S. punctatolineata by having PVSR 80 (vs. 58–69) and VSR 81 (vs. 58–69); from S. qianica by having PVSR 80 (vs. 61–66) and VSR 81 (vs. 66–75); from S. rara by having MBSR 28 (vs. 24) and PVSR 80 (vs. 53); from S. reevesii by having PVSR 80 (vs. 61–77) and VSR 81 (vs. 63–79); from S. rufocaudata by having PVSR 80 (vs. 67–69) and VSR 81 (vs. 60–67); from S. rupicola by having PVSR 80 (vs. 68–73) and VSR 81 (vs. 63–69); from S. schmidti by having MBSR 28 (vs. 24–26) and DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2 (vs. 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2); from S. tenuistriata by having MBSR 28 (vs. 24) and PVSR 80 (vs. 51–61); from S. truongi by having PVSR 80 (vs. 60–67) and VSR 81 (vs. 60–70); from S. tsinlingensis by having DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2 (vs. 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2); from S. vandenburghi by having PVSR 80 (vs. 63–78) and VSR 81 (vs. 67–78); from S. verecunda by having MBSR 28 (vs. 25–26) and a transparent palpebral disc present (vs. absent); from S. victoriana by having PVSR 80 (vs. 50–54) and VSR 81 (vs. 53–56); and from S. vuquangensis by having PVSR 80 (vs. 63–65) and VSR 81 (vs. 61–62).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FEAFFE4E1D0C5C11BF223FF4EE8A6270	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Xu, Yuhao;Deng, Jundong;Qi, Shuo;Ma, Shun;Zhang, Tierui;Cai, Bo;Wang, Haoquan;Sun, Fanyue;Nguyen, Tan Van;Poyarkov, Nikolay A.;Peng, Lifang	Xu, Yuhao, Deng, Jundong, Qi, Shuo, Ma, Shun, Zhang, Tierui, Cai, Bo, Wang, Haoquan, Sun, Fanyue, Nguyen, Tan Van, Poyarkov, Nikolay A., Peng, Lifang (2026): A mountain giant: description of the largest known species of the genus Scincella Mittleman, 1950 (Squamata, Scincidae) from Yunnan Province, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102 (4): 1047-1063, DOI: 10.3897/zse.102.204139
