Panaspis wahlbergii

Panaspis wahlbergii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Panaspis
Species:	P. wahlbergii
Binomial name
Panaspis wahlbergii (A. Smith, 1849)
Synonyms
Cryptoblepharis wahlbergii A. Smith, 1849 Ablepharus wahlbergii — Strauch, 1868 Ablepharus carsonii Boulenger, 1897 Afroablepharus wahlbergi — Greer, 1974 Panaspis wahlbergii — Lanza, 1988 Panaspis wahlbergi — Broadley, 1998

Panaspis wahlbergii, also known commonly as the Angolan snake-eyed skink, the savannah lidless skink, and Wahlberg's snake-eyed skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is widely distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, it likely represents more than one species.

Etymology

The specific name, wahlbergii, is in honor of Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg.

Geographic range

P. wahlbergii is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Earlier records from further north have been assigned to other species.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. wahlbergii is savanna, both arid and mesic.

Description

Adults of P. wahlbergii usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in), and the tail is slightly longer than SVL. Males are larger than females, and the maximum recorded SVL is 6.4 cm (2.5 in).

Reproduction

P. wahlbergii is oviparous. An adult female may lay a clutch of 2–6 eggs. Each egg measures on average 8 mm x 4.5 mm (0.31 in x 0.18 in). Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of about 3 cm (1.2 in).

Further reading

• Medina, Maria F.; Bauer, Aaron M. [in French]; Branch, William R.; Schmitz, Andreas [in French]; Conradie, Werner; Nagy, Zoltán T.; Hibbitts, Toby J.; Ernst, Raffael; Portik, Daniel M.; Nielsen, Stuart V.; Colston, Timothy J.; Kusamba, Chifundera; Behangana, Mathias; Rödel, Mark-Oliver [in French]; Greenbaum, Eli (2016). "Molecular phylogeny of Panaspis and Afroablepharus skinks (Squamata: Scincidae) in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 100: 409–423. Bibcode:2016MolPE.100..409M. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.026. PMC 4898058. PMID 27118179.
• Smith A (1849). Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa; Consisting Chiefly of Figures and Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected during an Expedition into the Interior of South Africa, in the Years 1834, 1835, and 1836; Fitted out by "The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa:" Together with a summary of African Zoology, and an Inquiry into the Geographical Ranges of Species in that Quarter of the Globe. [Volume III. Reptilia.] London: Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury. (Smith, Elder and Co., printers). 48 Plates + unnumbered pages of text + Appendix. (Cryptoblepharus wahlbergii, new species, Appendix, p. 10).
• Spawls, Stephen; Howell, Kim; Hinkel, Harald; Menegon, Michele (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Panaspis wahlbergi, p. 165).