''Scolecoseps acontias'', also known
commonly as the sandy limbless skink, is a
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
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
.
Geographic range
''S. acontias'' is found in eastern coastal Tanzania.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s of ''S. acontias'' are
shrubland and
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, at altitudes from sea level to .
Reproduction
''S. acontias'' 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 ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Broadley DG, Howell KM (1991). "A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys". ''Syntarsus'' 1: 1–70. (''Scolecoseps acontias'', p. 15).
* Loveridge A (1942). "Scientific Results of a Fourth Expedition to Forested Areas in East and Central Africa. IV. Reptiles". ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College'' 91 (1): 237–373. (''Scolecoseps acontias'', new combination, p. 359).
* Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). ''Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition''. London: Bloomsbury Natural Histury. 624 pp. . (''Scolecoseps acontias'', p. 177).
* Werner F (1913). "''Neue oder seltene Reptilien und Frösche des Naturhistorischen Museums in Hamburg'' ". ''Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut'' 30: 1–51. (''Melanoseps acontias'', new species, p. 19). (in German).
acontias
''Acontias'' is a genus of limbless skinks, the lance skinks, (family Scincidae) in the African subfamily Acontinae.Branch 2004. Most are small animals, but the largest member of the genus is ''Acontias plumbeus'' at approximately snout-ven ...
Reptiles of Tanzania
Reptiles described in 1913
Taxa named by Franz Werner
{{skink-stub