Scincella verecunda Xu, Nguyen, Deng, Zhang, Poyarkov & Peng sp. nov.

Tables 1, 2, Figs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Type material.

Holotype. • QHU R 2025058, adult female, from Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China (23.8977°N, 100.1836°E; elevation 2,358 m a. s. l.) collected by J. D. Deng and Y. H. Xu on 02 July 2025. Paratypes (n = 5). • QHU R 2025059, • QHU R 2025061 (two adult females) and • QHU R 2025060 (one subadult female), with the same collecting information as the holotype. • QHU R 2025055 (one adult female) and • QHU R 2025056 (one subadult female) from Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China (23.8863°N, 100.1697°E; elevation 2,113 m a. s. l.) collected by J. D. Deng and J. C. Liu on 16 June 2025.

Diagnosis.

Scincella verecunda sp. nov. can be diagnosed from other Scincella species by the following unique combination of characters: (1) medium body size in adult female, with a maximum SVL of 48.7 mm; (2) supraciliaries 6–7; (3) supralabials seven, separated from the eye by a row of small scales; (4) infralabials six; (5) palpebral disc absent; (6) midbody scale rows 25–26; (7) ventral scale rows (excluding gulars) 43–45, gulars 20–23, with total ventral + gular scale rows numbering 65–68; (8) dorsal scales smooth, slightly enlarged, with paravertebral scale rows 62–65; (9) toes not in contact with fingers when limbs adpressed; (10) 6–9 enlarged lamellae beneath finger IV, 11–13 beneath toe IV; (11) in life, the dorsum brown and scattered with a few small dark spots, the lateral surface golden-yellow, bearing numerous distinct dark spots, which sometimes connect to form vermiform markings; (12) the dark dorsolateral stripes irregular; and (13) in life, ventral surface of the head creamy white, scattered with small black spots, and the ventral surface of the body golden yellow and immaculate.

Etymology.

The specific epithet verecunda is derived from the Latin adjective “ verecundus, ” meaning “ shy ” or “ retiring. ” The name refers to the wary disposition and secretive ecological habits of the new species. In the field, individuals rapidly retreated beneath fallen logs or other ground cover when disturbed. Furthermore, the species inhabits remote high-elevation forests above 2,000 m a. s. l. and typically remains concealed within forest-floor microhabitats, making it difficult to detect without deliberate searching. According to its type locality, we suggest the common name “ Lincang Ground Skink ” in English, “ Линьцанский малый сцинк ” (Lintsanskiy malyi stsink) in Russian, and “ 临沧滑蜥 ” (Pinyin: li ́ n ca ̄ ng hua ́ xi ̄) as the common name of the new species in the Chinese language.

Description of the holotype.

Adult female in good condition. Size medium, SVL 48.7 mm; tail incomplete but relatively long (TaL 81.3 + mm), distal portion regenerated and distinctly narrower than the proximal section; axilla-groin distance 28.9 mm, AGD / SVL ratio 0.59. Head elongated, indistinct from the neck (HL 1 9.30 mm, HL 2 7.58 mm, HW 5.44 mm, HH 4.27 mm). Snout short, obtuse, round anteriorly (SnL 2.54 mm). Eye large (ED 2.73 mm), lower eyelid without transparent or opaque disc; eye separated from supralabials by a row of small scales. Ear nearly circular; tympanum distinctly, deeply recessed and distinctly without lobules (TD 1.38 mm). Limbs relatively short, toes not in contact with fingers when limbs adpressed (FLL 9.02 mm, HLL 12.16 mm, F 4 L 1.92 mm, T 4 L 3.09 mm, FLL / SVL ratio 0.19, HLL / SVL ratio 0.25, FLL + HLL / AGD ratio 0.73). Digits moderately long and slender, each ending in a clearly visible, slightly curved claw. Relative digit lengths of the manus: IV> III> II> V> I, and of the pes: IV> III> V> II> I.

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 one, approximately boat-shaped, width ~ 2 × the height, in contact with the rostral, nasals, anterior loreals, prefrontals, and frontal; prefrontals two, not in contact with each other, separated medially by frontal; frontal slender, longer than wide, diamond-shaped, in contact with the 1 st superciliary, 1 st and 2 nd supraoculars laterally; a pair of frontoparietals, in contact with each other anteriorly, bordered by frontal, 2 nd to 4 th supraoculars, interparietal, and parietals; interparietal diamond-shaped, width less than height; parietals large, in contact posteriorly, posterolateral border surrounded by the upper secondary temporals and enlarged nuchals; four pairs of enlarged nuchals.

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, subequal in size; supraoculars 4 / 4, the 1 st contacts the frontal, the 2 nd is the largest and contacts both the frontal and frontoparietals, and the 3 rd and 4 th contact the frontoparietal; superciliaries 6 / 7, the 1 st is the largest; the palpebral disc absent; temporals 1 + 2, the anterior one subrectangular, the upper secondary temporal is the largest, while the lower one is smaller and broadly contacts the upper; supralabials 7 / 7, 1 st smallest, and 6 th largest.

Mental wider than long, round anteriorly, in contact with the 1 st infralabial and postmental; postmental large and subpentagonal, 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 three gulars; gulars 22.

Body scalation (Fig. 4). Body scalation smooth, scales around midbody in 26 rows; dorsal scales distinctly larger than lateral scales but nearly equal in size to the ventrals. The paravertebral scale series composed of 64 scales. Dorsal scales between the dorsolateral stripes at midbody 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2. Ventral scales slightly enlarged medially, decreasing toward the flanks; ventral scale rows (excluding gulars) 45, total GS + VS 67; medial pair of precloacal scales 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 the fingers and toes covered with two interdigitating rows of scales, with only the two most distal scales single; 7 / 8 enlarged lamellae beneath finger IV and 11 / 12 beneath toe IV.

Coloration of the holotype in life (Fig. 5). In life, dorsal surface of the head brown, bearing several small, irregular black spots. Upper half of lateral head brown, gradually fading ventrally to light brown, densely marked with relatively large, irregular black spots. Dorsal surfaces of body and tail brown, with a few scattered black spots. A generally broad, dark dorsolateral stripe present on trunk, wavy in outline with highly irregular margins; width variable, occupying approximately 0.5 scale at narrowest point and up to 2.5 scales at widest. The stripe originates at the tip of the snout, extends along the upper margins of the nasal and loreal scales, is interrupted at the eye, reappears posterior to the eye, and continues along the flanks above the forelimbs and hindlimbs to the mid – posterior portion of the tail.

Ground color of flanks light golden yellow, densely marked below the dorsolateral stripe with relatively large, irregular black spots; these spots sometimes confluent or connected to the dorsolateral stripe, forming vermiform patterns in some areas of the flanks. Black markings gradually disappear toward the ventral margin.

Ventral surface of head creamy white; lateral portions of head venter with several black spots, decreasing medially. Ventral surface of trunk golden yellow, immaculate. Anterior portion of tail venter yellow, gradually transitioning posteriorly to gray; gray region densely covered with small dark spots.

Coloration of the holotype in preservation (Fig. 6). After seven months in ethanol, the dorsal coloration remains similar to that in life, although the luster is reduced. The golden yellow on the flanks and ventral surfaces has faded to grayish white, but the dark markings remain distinct.

Variation.

Morphometric and meristic data of the type series of Scincella verecunda sp. nov. are provided in Table 1. The paratypes exhibit coloration generally similar to the holotype, with minor individual variation (Figs 5, 7). The main differences in morphometric and scalation characters among the type series (N = 6, all females) are as follows: (1) in the two specimens with original tails, TAL / SVL ratio 1.74–1.76; (2) in QHU R 2025059, a small, separate scale is split off from the left anterior corner of the frontal scale; (3) MBSR 25–26; (4) SCI 6–7; (5) DBR 1 / 2 + 6 + 1 / 2, except in QHU R 2025060, in which DBR is 1 / 2 + 4 + 1 / 2; (6) PVSR 62–65; (7) VS 43–45, GS 20–23, VS + GS 65–68; and (8) F 4 S 6–9, T 4 S 11–13.

Distribution and natural history notes.

At present, Scincella verecunda sp. nov. is known only from two closely adjacent localities in Linxiang District, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 1). Within this area, the new species inhabits high-elevation coniferous or coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests at elevations of 2,113 –2,358 m a. s. l. (Fig. 8 A). The forest floor is characterized by a thick layer of pine-needle litter and abundant moss cover, with numerous fallen logs providing additional microhabitats (Fig. 8 B, C). Individuals were observed active on the ground surface from daytime until dusk (Fig. 8 D). During the survey period, daytime air temperatures ranged from 20–24 ° C, with frequent rainfall and generally high ambient humidity. Given the geographic proximity and continuity of montane habitats, the species may potentially occur in adjacent areas of northern Myanmar.

Conservation status.

Field surveys indicate that Scincella verecunda sp. nov. is commonly encountered at its currently known localities. However, the limited information available suggests that it is more closely associated with well-preserved, high-elevation montane primary forests. Given the lack of comprehensive data on its overall distribution, population trends, and potential threats, we provisionally assign this species to Data Deficient (DD) under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2026). Additional field surveys and ecological studies are required to better define its range and to enable a more rigorous assessment of its conservation status.

Comparisons.

Based on molecular evidence, Scincella verecunda sp. nov. is most closely related to S. ouboteri, S. ochracea, and S. reevesii. Detailed morphological comparisons between Scincella verecunda sp. nov. and its closely related congeners are provided in Fig. 9 and Table 2. However, Scincella verecunda sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from S. ouboteri by: (1) palpebral disc absent (vs. present); (2) smaller HLL / SVL ratio (0.25–0.28 vs. 0.33–0.42); (3) temporals 1 + 2 (vs. 2 + 2); (4) fewer midbody scale rows (MBSR 25–26 vs. 32); and (5) fewer subdigital lamellae under the fourth finger (F 4 S 6–9 vs. 10–12) and fourth toe (T 4 S 11–13 vs. 18–20). The new species can be distinguished from S. ochracea by (1) palpebral disc absent (vs. present); (2) smaller HLL / SVL ratio (0.25–0.28 vs. 0.30–0.38); (3) prefrontals separated (vs. in contact); (4) one anterior temporal (vs. two); (5) fewer MBSR (25–26 vs. 30–32); and (6) fewer T 4 S (11–13 vs. 15–19). It can further be distinguished from S. reevesii by (1) palpebral disc absent (vs. present); (2) relatively longer tail (TAL / SVL 1.74–1.76 vs. 1.57–1.70); (3) smaller HLL / SVL ratio (0.25–0.28 vs. 0.34–0.43); (4) fewer MBSR (25–26 vs. 28–34); and (5) fewer T 4 S (11–13 vs. 14–18).

In addition, the absence of a palpebral disc readily distinguishes Scincella verecunda sp. nov. from all other currently recognized Asian congeners, including S. alia, S. apraefrontalis Nguyen, Nguyen, Böhme & Ziegler, S. auranticaudata Nguyen, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, Phan, Vo, Murphy & Che, S. badenensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen & Murphy, S. balluca Bragin, Zenin, Le, Nguyen, Nguyen, Bobrov & Poyarkov, S. baraensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen & Murphy, S. barbouri (Stejneger), S. boettgeri, S. chengduensis Jia, Gao, Wu, Wang, Liu, Liu, Jiang, Jiang, Ren & Li, S. darevskii Nguyen, Ananjeva, Orlov, Rybaltovsky & Böhme, S. devorator, S. doriae (Boulenger), S. dunan, S. fansipanensis Okabe, Motokawa, Koizumi, Nguyen, Nguyen & Bui, S. formosensis (Van Denburgh), S. heishuiensis Liu, Pu, Tan, Chen, Lyu, Shu, Wu, Dong, Guo, S. honbaensis Nguyen, Nguyen, Le, Nguyen, Phan, Vo, Murphy & Che, S. huanrenensis Zhao & Huang, S. incerta (Stuart), S. liangshanensis Jia, Gao, Wu, Ren, Jiang & Wu, S. melanosticta, S. modesta, S. monticola (Schmidt), S. nigrofasciata Neang, Chan & Poyarkov, S. potanini (Günther), S. przewalskii (Bedriaga), S. punctatolineata (Boulenger), S. qianica Xu, Weng, Poyarkov, Zhang, Deng & Peng, S. rara (Darevsky & Orlov), S. rufocaudata (Darevsky & Nguyen), S. rupicola (Smith), S. schmidti (Barbour), S. tenuistriata, S. truongi Pham, Ziegler, Pham, Hoang, Ngo & Le, S. tsinlingensis (Hu & Zhao), S. vandenburghi (Schmidt), S. victoriana (Shreve), and S. wangyuezhaoi Jia, Gao, Huang, Ren, Jiang & Li (vs. present).