Acontias percivali

Acontias percivali, also known commonly as Percival's lance skink, Percival's legless lizard, and the Tanzanian legless lizard, is a species of small, legless (snake-like) lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Acontias percivali
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Acontias
Species:
A. percivali
Binomial name
Acontias percivali
Loveridge, 1935

Etymology

The specific name, percivali, is in honor of British naturalist Arthur Blayney Percival (1874–1940), who was a game warden in East Africa.[2]

Geographic range

The geographic range of A. percivali is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.[3]

Habitat

Percival's lance skink inhabits savannas by burrowing just below the surface of the soil.

Subspecies

The two subspecies of A. percivali are:

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.

Reproduction

A. percivali is ovoviviparous and has one to five young at a time.

As pets

Although this A. percivali 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 may be possible, but currently has not been accomplished commercially.

References
  1. Spawls, S., Malonza, P., Beraduccii, J. & Msuya, C.A. 2014. Acontias percivali . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T44960134A44960137. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T44960134A44960137.en. Downloaded on 09 January 2020.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Acontias percivali, pp. 202-203).
  3. Species Acontias percivali at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading
  • Branch WR (1991). "Life History Note: Acontias percivali tasmani: Size and Predation". J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (39): 23-23.
  • Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised Edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Acontias percivali, pp. 134–135 + Plate 44).
  • Loveridge A (1935). "Scientific Results of an Expedition to Rain Forest Regions in Eastern Africa. I. New Reptiles and Amphibians from East Africa". Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 79 (1): 1-19. (Acontias percivali, new species, pp. 13–15).


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