''Trachylepis bayonii'', also known
commonly as Bayão's skink, Bayon's mabuya, and Bayon's skink, is a
species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
in the
family Scincidae. The species is
endemic to
Africa. There are two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''bayonii'', is in honor of Francisco Antonio Pinheiro Bayão, who was a Portuguese planter in Angola.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Trachylepis bayonii'', p. 20).]
Geographic range
''T. bayonii'' is found in
Angola,
Kenya,
Tanzania, and
Uganda.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitats of ''T. bayonii'' are
grassland and
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
, at altitudes of .
[
]
Reproduction
''T. bayonii'' is viviparous.[
]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
.[
*'' Trachylepis bayonii bayonii''
*'' Trachylepis bayonii keniensis''
'' Nota bene'': A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than '']Trachylepis
''Trachylepis'' is a skink genus in the subfamily Mabuyinae found mainly in Africa. Its members were formerly included in the "wastebin taxon" ''Mabuya'', and for some time in '' Euprepis''. As defined today, ''Trachylepis'' contains the clade ...
''.
References
Further reading
* Bocage JV (1872). "''Diagnoses de quelques espèces nouvelles de Reptiles d'Afrique occidentale'' ". ''Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes, Academia Real de Sciencias de Lisboa'' 4: 72–82. (''Euprepes bayonii'', new species, p. 75). (in French).
* Boulenger GA (1887). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (''Mabuia bayonii'', new combination, p. 201).
* Laurent RF (1964). "''Reptiles et batraciens de l'Angola (troisième note)'' ". ''Companhia de Diamantes de Angola (Diamang), Serviços Culturais, Museu do Dundo (Angola)'' (67): 165. (''Mabuya bayonii huilensis'', new subspecies). (in French).
* Loveridge A (1956). "A New Subgenus of ''Chamaeleo'' from Rhodesia and a New Race of ''Mabuya'' from Kenya Colony". ''Breviora'' (59): 1–4. (''Mabuya bayonii keniensis'', new subspecies, pp. 2–4).
Trachylepis
Reptiles of Tanzania
Reptiles of Angola
Reptiles of Kenya
Reptiles of Uganda
Reptiles described in 1872
Taxa named by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage
{{Lygosominae-stub