Mendis' Shieldtail

Mendis' shieldtail is a recently described burrowing uropeltid endemic to Sri Lanka and known only from its type locality near Balangoda, Sabaragamuwa Province. It was described by the herpetologist David J. Gower in 2020 and named for L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe. It looks like Trevelyan's earth snake in colour pattern and in its prominent conical tail shield, but has far fewer ventral scales, more than 155 and fewer than 180 (Wikipedia, general species account).

The type locality is in the wet zone of the southern hills at 550 to 700 m, and all known specimens are believed to have come from soils in agricultural habitats. No status is given for it in the Sri Lanka National Red List 2012 list checked.