''Chalcides colosii'', also known commonly as the Riffian skink and Colosi's cylindrical skink, is a moderate-sized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of lizard in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scincidae. The species is native to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

and some

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

territories in northwestern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It is named after

Giuseppe Colosi Giuseppe Colosi (29 March 1892 – 20 October 1975) was an Italian zoologist. He specialized in the study of crustaceans and mysids in particular. Colosi was born in Petralia Sottana. From 1920 to 1924, he taught in Turin, and he was the head of th ...

, former director of the Zoological Institute of the

University of Florence The University of Florence (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'', UniFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The first universi ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Chalcides colosii'', p. 57). It has been considered a subspecies of '' Chalcides ocellatus''. Boulenger GA (1890). "On the Varieties of ''Chalcides ocellatus'', Forsk." ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series'' 5: 444-445. ("''Chalcides ocellatus'' Var. ''vittatus'' ", new variety, p. 445). The females of the species give birth to live young.

Conservation status

The population of ''C. colosii'' is most likely slowly declining, but it is not under any major threat. The IUCN gives it Least Concern status because, although its range is less than 20,000 km² (7,700 mi²), its habitat is extensive and is not severely threatened. Also, it is presumed to have a large population. Some possible threats to ''C. colosii'' include tourism and agricultural development.

Geographic range and habitat

''C. colosii'' is found in Morocco, the Spanish exclaves

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

and Melilla, and the Spanish island Isla de Tierra (near

Peñón de Alhucemas The Alhucemas Islands ( es, Islas Alhucemas, ar, جزر الحسيمة) is a group of islands and one of the Spanish ''plazas de soberanía'' just off the Moroccan coast in the Alboran Sea. Overview Peñón de Alhucemas, together with th ...

), but is not very common in the western part of this range. Its general abundance is not well known, but it lives in semi-arid or sub-humid areas up to an altitude of . It is most commonly found in rocky areas such as stone heaps or slopes with loose soil and partial grass cover. Schleich, Hans-Hermann; Kästle, Werner; Kabisch, Klaus (1996). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa: Biology, Systematics, Field Guide''. Koeltz Scientific Books. 630 pp. . It can also be found near coastal sand dunes and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

Coloration and distinguishing features

Although similar to the ocellated skink, ''C. ocellatus'', ''C. colosii'' can be distinguished by its lack of

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

and its dark lateral bands. ''C. colosii'' has a moderately dark lateral band in the center of its back bordered on either side with two darker bands. The remainder has a solid light color. Its adult size is generally between snout-to-vent length (SVL).

Reproduction

''C. colosii'' is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

Conservation status

Geographic range and habitat

Coloration and distinguishing features

Reproduction

References

Further reading