The bridled mabuya or bridled skink (''Heremites vittatus'') is a species of

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

found in North Africa and Middle East. They grow up to 22 cm. The

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

of this species has seen multiple revisions in the early 2000s. The current binomial name is ''Heremites vittatus''. Previously it was known as ''Mabuya vittata'' and for short period as ''Eutropis vittata'' and ''Trachylepis vittata''. The reason for those changes is an attempt to divide the vast genus ''Mabuya'' in a few smaller genera. The bridled mabuya lives in open sandy or stony soil with little grass or bushy vegetation. They are usually found near water; in Egypt in the Wetlands and near oases in Tunisia. It can grow up to 22 centimeters long and has a smooth, shiny, body with overlapping scales. Their heads are cone shaped and they have elongated bodies and a tapering tail that is easily broken but can be regenerated. The bridled mabuya feeds primarily on insects and other arthropods.

Citations

General References

The Reptile Database

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Heremites Reptiles described in 1804 Fauna of Lebanon Taxa named by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier {{skink-stub