Panaspis maculicollis Jacobsen & Broadley, 2000

Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Heinicke, Matthew P., Parker, Kelly L., Marques, Mariana P. & Bauer, Aaron M., 2020, A review of the African snake-eyed skinks (Scincidae: Panaspis) from Angola, with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 4747 (1), pp. 77-112 : 95-97

Panaspis maculicollis Jacobsen & Broadley, 2000

Panaspis maculicollis ( Conradie et al. 2016: 25 ; Medina et al. 2016: 414; Ceríaco et al. 2018a: 141; Marques et al. 2018: 248; Branch et al. 2019a: 293, 317)

This species was described by Jacobsen & Broadley (2000), based on specimens from northern Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, northern Botswana, northeastern Namibia, Zimbabwe, southern Zambia and central Mozambique. Medina et al. (2016) presented evidence that the central Namibian populations, as well as those from Mozambique and Limpopo represent undescribed species. The central Namibian population was recent- ly described by Ceríaco et al. (2018), while the other lineages await description. Conradie et al. (2016) presented the first record of the species for Angola, based on a single specimen collected in the southeastern tip of Cuando- Cubango Province. The taxonomic identity of this specimen was confirmed by Medina et al. (2016).

Diagnosis. Panaspis maculicollis can be distinguished from other members of the genus occurring in Angola by the following combination of characteristics: 1) absence of supranasals; 2) ablepharine eye (as defined by Greer 1974); 3) frontoparietals fused; 4) dorsum coppery-brown, with a dorsolateral light stripe extending approximately to midbody, and a thin darker band starting on the temporals and extending to midbody; 5) presence of rows of light spots on the neck; 6) absence of a white ventrolateral stripe; 7) 22 to 28 midbody scales rows (usually 26).

Additional material. ANGOLA: Cuando-Cubango Province: Cuando Basin [-17.535º, 23.18916º, 983 m] ( PEM R 20007) .

Distribution. The species is known from the Kalahari sand areas of northeastern Namibia, northern Botswana and western Zimbabwe. In Angola, the species enters the extreme southeastern tip of Cuando-Cubango Province, however it is probable that it is more widespread in the province, and similar habitat extends into Moxico Province ( Fig. 12 ).

Habitat and Natural History notes. A terrestrial species occupying a variety of habitats from rocky or stony hillsides to open woodland/grassland at altitudes of 220-1200 m ( Jacobsen & Broadley 2000). In Angola the species is known from the sparse Miombo woodlands from southeastern Moxico.

Figures

FIGURE 12—Distribution map of Panaspis maculicollis in Angola and neighboring areas of Namibia, Zambia and Botswana.