Acontias percivali
| Percival's Lance Skink Acontias percivali | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| 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".
Distribution
The species' range is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Angola, and Tanzania.
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. tasmani
- A. p. occidentalis
- A. p. percivali
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. It 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 is possible, but currently has not been accomplished commercially.
References
- Branch, W. R. 1991, Life History Note: Acontias percivali tasmani: Size and Predation Jour. Herp. Ass. Afr. (39): 23-23
- Unraveling evolutionary lineages in the limbless fossorial skink genus Acontias