Trachylepis striata
| African striped skink | |
|---|---|
_(5984468806).jpg) | |
| T. s. striata in Kruger NP, South Africa | |
 | |
| T. s. wahlbergi at Lusaka, Zambia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Lygosominae |
| Genus: | Trachylepis |
| Species: | T. striata |
| Binomial name | |
| Trachylepis striata (Peters, 1844) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Mabuya striata | |
The African striped skink (Trachylepsis striata), commonly called the striped skink, is a lizard in the skink family (Scincidae). The species is widespread in East Africa and southern Africa. It is not a close relation to the Australian striped skink, Ctenotus taeniolatus.
Description
This skink is brown or bronze coloured with two yellowish stripes that run lengthwise on either side of the spine. Both sexes grow to a length of 25 cm.[1] Their tails are often missing due to predators.
Range and races
There are two races, the nominate with an eastern, and wahlbergi with a southwesterly distribution:[2]
- Trachylepis striata striata (Peters, 1844) – Eastern striped skink
- Range: South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, DRC, Malawi, se Zambia, se Zimbabwe, ne South Africa, Swaziland
- Trachylepis striata wahlbergi (Peters, 1869) – Wahlberg’s striped skink
Former races T. s. punctatissima and T. s. sparsa have been elevated to species level.[2]
References
- ↑ Spawls S, Howell KM, Drewes RC. Reptiles and Amphibians of East Africa, Princeton:Princeton University Press, 2006.
- 1 2 3 Hallermann, Jakob; Uetz, Peter. "Trachylepis striata (PETERS, 1844)". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
External references
- Striped Skink, Destination Kruger Park
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Media related to Trachylepis striata at Wikimedia Commons
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