Acontias percivali
| Acontias percivali | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Acontias |
| Species: | A. percivali |
| Binomial name | |
| Acontias percivali Loveridge, 1935 | |
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Acontias percivali, also known as Percival's legless lizard, Tanzanian legless lizard, and Percival's lance skink, is a small, legless (snake-like) species of lizard in the family Scincidae, collectively known as "skinks".
Etymology
The specific name, percivali, is in honor of British naturalist Arthur Blayney Percival (1874–1940), who was a game warden in East Africa.[1]
Geographic range
The geographic range of A. percivali is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.[2]
Habitat
Percival's lance skink inhabits savannas by burrowing just below the surface of the soil.
Subspecies
The three subspecies of A. percivali are:
- A. p. occidentalis V. FitzSimons, 1941
- A. p. percivali Loveridge, 1935
- A. p. tasmani Hewitt, 1938
A. p. occidentalis has been considered a full species by Lamb et al. (2010) and by Wagner et al. (2012).[3]
A. p. tasmani may be a subspecies of Acontias meleagris as seen after DNA sequencing tests.
Description
Percival's lance skink can be identified by its copper-brown back and gold underside. It is an insectivores that specializes in feeding on beetle larvae, earthworms, and other slow-moving invertebrates.
Reproduction
A. percivali is ovoviviparous and has one to five young at a time.
As pets
Although this animal is poorly understood, it is occasionally seen in pet shops. Most Acontias specimens in the pet trade are wild-collected. In captivity, they require a deep layer of sandy substrate and hollow hiding places on the surface. Captive breeding may be possible, but currently has not been accomplished commercially.
References
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Acontias percivali, pp. 202-203).
- ↑ "Acontias percivali ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ "Acontias occidentalis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database-org.
Further reading
- Branch WR (1991). "Life History Note: Acontias percivali tasmani: Size and Predation". J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (39): 23-23.
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised Edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Acontias percivali, pp. 134-135 + Plate 44).
- Loveridge A (1935). "Scientific Results of an Expedition to Rain Forest Regions in Eastern Africa. I. New Reptiles and Amphibians from East Africa". Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 79 (1): 1-19. (Acontias percivali, new species, pp. 13-15).
External links
- Daniels SR, Heideman NJ, Hendricks MGJ, Crandall KA (2005). "Unraveling evolutionary lineages in the limbless fossorial skink genus Acontias ". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34 (3): 645-654.