Acontias percivali

Acontias percivali
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Acontidae
Genus:	Acontias
Species:	A. percivali
Binomial name
Acontias percivali Loveridge, 1935

Acontias percivali, also known commonly as Percival's lance skink, Percival's legless lizard, and the Tanzanian legless lizard, is a species of small, legless (snake-like) lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, percivali, is in honor of British naturalist Arthur Blayney Percival (1874–1940), who was a game warden in East Africa. ^[2]

Geographic range

The geographic range of A. percivali is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Democratic republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. ^[3]

Habitat

Percival's lance skink inhabits savannas by burrowing just below the surface of the soil.

Subspecies

The two subspecies of A. percivali are:

• A. p. percivali Loveridge, 1935
• A. p. tasmani Hewitt, 1938

A. p. tasmani may be a subspecies of Acontias meleagris as seen after DNA sequencing tests.^{[ citation needed ]}

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 A. percivali 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. Spawls, S.; Malonza, P.; Beraduccii, J.; Msuya, C.A. (2014). "Acontias percivali". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014 e.T44960134A44960137. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T44960134A44960137.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (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).
3. Species Acontias percivali at 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. Harvard79 (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 Evolution34 (3): 645–654.