Trachylepis
| Trachylepis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Trachylepis striata | |
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| Trachylepis maculilabris mating | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Subfamily: | Lygosominae |
| Genus: |
Trachylepis Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Species | |
|
About 70, see text |
|
About 70, see text
Trachylepis is a skink genus in the subfamily Lygosominae 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 of Afro-Malagasy mabuyas. The genus also contains a species from the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, T. atlantica, and may occur in mainland South America with Trachylepis tschudii and Trachylepis maculata, both poorly known and enigmatic. The ancestors of T. atlantica are believed to have rafted across the Atlantic from Africa during the last 9 million years.
The generic name Trachylepis literally means "rough-scaled", referring to the fact that most of the species, though superficially smooth-scaled, have three or more slight longitudinal keels on their dorsal scales.
The following species are recognized as being valid (listed alphabetically by specific name).
The species Mabouya punctatissima also belongs in this genus, but its exact identity remains unclear.
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Wikipedia