Acontias percivali

Acontias percivali, also known commonly as Percival's lance skink, Percival's legless lizard, and the Tanzanian legless lizard, is a species of small, legless (snake-like) lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Acontias percivali
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Family:	Acontidae
Genus:	Acontias
Species:	A. percivali
Binomial name
Acontias percivali Loveridge, 1935

Etymology

The specific name, percivali, is in honor of British naturalist Arthur Blayney Percival (1874–1940), who was a game warden in East Africa.^[2]

Geographic range

The geographic range of A. percivali is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Democratic republic of Congo and Zimbabwe.^[3]

Habitat

Percival's lance skink inhabits savannas by burrowing just below the surface of the soil.

Subspecies

The two subspecies of A. percivali are:

• A. p. percivali Loveridge, 1935
• A. p. tasmani Hewitt, 1938

A. p. tasmani may be a subspecies of Acontias meleagris as seen after DNA sequencing tests.^{[citation needed]}

Description

Percival's lance skink can be identified by its copper-brown back and gold underside. It is an insectivores that specializes in feeding on beetle larvae, earthworms, and other slow-moving invertebrates.

Reproduction

A. percivali is ovoviviparous and has one to five young at a time.

As pets

Although this A. percivali is poorly understood, it is occasionally seen in pet shops. Most Acontias specimens in the pet trade are wild-collected. In captivity, they require a deep layer of sandy substrate and hollow hiding places on the surface. Captive breeding may be possible, but currently has not been accomplished commercially.^{[citation needed]}