Nessia layardi

Nessia layardi, commonly known as Layard's snake skink or Layard's nessia, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Etymology
The specific name, layardi, is in honor of British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard.

Habitat & geographic range
N. layardi is a poorly known skink from the hills of the Central Province and the wet zone coastal areas. Known localities include Millawa, Wellawatte, Lunava, and Polgahawela. It inhabits moist soil and decaying leaf litter, especially at the base of trees, at elevations up to 150 m.

Description
The snout of N. layardi is subconical. A single loreal is present. The limbs, an ear opening, and supranasals are absent. The dorsum is brown, each scale with a darker margin.

Reproduction
The eggs of N. layardi are deposited in heaps of coconut leaves or in silt over stony substratum. The eggs are soft-shelled, measuring 6.4 ×, and two eggs are produced at a time around March.