''Trachylepis hoeschi'', also known commonly as Hoesch's mabuya and Hoesch'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 native to southwestern Africa.

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 ...

, ''hoeschi'', is in honor of German zoologist Walter Hoesch (1896–1961), who collected the holotype.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Mabuya hoeschi'', p. 124).

Geographic range

''T. hoeschi'' is found in Angola and Namibia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''T. hoeschi'' is arid savanna, where it is found on boulders and rock outcrops. 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. . (''Mabuya hoeschi'', p. 153 + Plate 52).

Description

Adults of ''T. hoeschi'' usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The maximum recorded SVL is . The tail is long, about two times SVL. Dorsally, ''T. hoeschi'' is grayish brown, with transverse bands of dark brown spots. Ventrally, it is white, except for the throat which is yellowish.

Diet

''T. hoeschi''

preys Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

upon insects such as beetles, moths, and wasps.

Reproduction

The mode of reproduction of ''T. hoeschi'' is unknown.

References

* Bauer AM (2003). "On the identity of ''Lacerta punctata'' Linnaeus 1758, the type species of the genus ''Euprepis'' Fitzinger 1830, and the generic assignment of Afro-Malagasy skinks". ''African Journal of Herpetology'' 52: 1–7. (''Trachylepis hoeschi'', new combination). * Mertens R (1954). "''Neue Eidechsen aus Südwest-Afrika''". ''Senckenbergiana'' 34: 175–183. (''Mabuya hoeschi'', new species, p. 178). (in German). Trachylepis Reptiles described in 1954 Taxa named by Robert Mertens {{Lygosominae-stub