Trachylepis cf. spilogaster (Peters, 1882)

Conradie, Werner, Bills, Roger & Branch, William R., 2016, The herpetofauna of the Cubango, Cuito, and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 126) 10 (2), pp. 6-36 : 25

Trachylepis cf. spilogaster (Peters, 1882)

Kalahari Tree Skink

Material: PEM R 20007 (20), 20016 (25), 20019 (12b), 20517 (30a), 20518 (35), 20519 (32), 21483 (49), 21486‒7 (57), 21498‒9 (62), 21828‒21840 (47), and 21842 (6a).

Comment: This form of the T. striata complex was elevated to specific status by Broadley (1969). First recorded from southern Angola by Laurent (1964), based on a single male from Serra do Moco, Luimbale, Huambo. He noted the great disjunction between this specimen and the species’ known distribution and cautioned that further investigation was necessary. His assignment to spilogaster appeared to be influenced by the tricarinate midbody scale count (34), supranasal and prefrontal condition, and speckled ventrum. The new material basically conforms to the descriptions in Laurent (1964) and Broadley (1969, 1977, 2000), in having supranasals in broad contact and 35‒37 tricarinate midbody scale rows (31‒40, mean 34.7; Broadley 1977). Howev- er, the prefrontal condition varies from broad contact to widely separated (usually separated in spilogaster ), the ventrum is never speckled although the throat is in adult males, and adult males usually have a red-brown middorsal band ( Fig. 9h ) that is not recorded in other populations ( Laurent 1964; Broadley 1969, 1977, 2000). The Cuito population also has different habits to typical spilogaster , being rarely found on trees although common on the ground, in rock piles, and on village houses. Its relationship with T. angolensis ( Monard 1937b) , and indeed that taxon’s status with respect to earlier names ( Euprepes angolensis Bocage, 1872 and Sepsina angolensis Bocage, 1866 ), remains problematic (see discussion in Boulenger, 1887). The present series is the subject of a more detailed morphological and genetic assessment.

Figures

Fig. 9. Selective amphibians and reptiles from south-easternAngola.A. Ptychadena taeniocelis; B. Xenopus petersii; C. Ptychadena cf. grandisonae; D. Ichnotropis spp; E. Causus cf.rasmusseni; F.Causus cf.rasmusseni; G. Boaedon cf.angolensis; H. Trachylepis cf. spilogaster.