Acontias albigularis

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Acontias albigularis

Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Acontias
Species:
A. albigularis
Binomial name
Acontias albigularis
Conradie, Busschau, & Edwards, 2018

Acontias albigularis, the white-throated legless skink, is a species of

Scincidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where it is found under flat rocks on the montane grasslands and shrublands of the Mpumalanga escarpment.[2][3] The species was originally regarded as a population of the shorthead lance skink (also called the shortheaded legless skink, Acontias breviceps).[4]

Description

A. albigularis is one of 28 recognized species within the genus Acontias.[5] Of the legless skinks, it is considered to be medium sized.

The body is cylindrical, with a rounded, short snout. Coloration is dorsally olive to olive brown, with dark brown or black spotting on the terminal ends of the scales. Ventrally scales are a lighter olive yellow, with the exception of the regions around the throat and cloaca, which are free of pigmentation.[6] Ventral pigmentation in juvenile specimens is not as prominent as in adults.

A. albigularis is distinguishable from other members of genus Acontias by the presence of moveable eyelids, ventral pigmentation at the posterior scale margins (giving a "checkered" appearance"), a lack of pigmentation around the throat and cloaca (hence the common name "white-throated"), and a lower average number of scales around the midbody.[3]

Distribution and habitat

A. albigularis is currently only known from the Mpumalanga escarpment at altitudes above 2000 m asl.[6]

Ecology and Behavior

Little is known about the breeding habits of A. albigularis. The presence of an 85mm juvenile collected from Long Tom Pass in December 2013 suggests that breeding may take place in the summer months, from September onwards.[6]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T128870755A128870799.en
    . Downloaded on 07 October 2019.
  2. ^ Acontias albigularis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 5 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Acontias albigularis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  4. ^ "Genus Acontias - taxonomy & distribution / RepFocus". www.repfocus.dk. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  5. ISSN 0950-4125
    .
  6. ^ a b c "Acontias albigularis Conradie & Busschau & Edwards 2018, sp. nov. - Plazi TreatmentBank". treatment.plazi.org. Retrieved 2024-03-19.


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