Mochlus sundevallii

Mochlus sundevallii, also known commonly as Peters' eyelid skink, Peters' writhing skink, and Sundevall's writhing skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mochlus sundevallii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Lygosomidae
Genus:	Mochlus
Species:	M. sundevallii
Binomial name
Mochlus sundevallii (A. Smith, 1849)
Synonyms[2][3]
Eumeces (Riopa) sundevallii A. Smith, 1849 Eumeces afer W. Peters, 1854 Lygosoma sundevalli — Calabresi, 1915 Riopa sundevalli — M.A. Smith, 1937 Mochlus sundevalli — Mittleman, 1952 Mochlus sundevallii — Freitas et al., 2019

Etymology

The specific name, sundevallii, is in honor of Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall.^[4]

Found inside the stomach of a Cape wolf snake, in Zimbabwe

Geographic range

M. sundevallii is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.^[1][2] The Reptile Database also lists Central African Republic, Sudan, and possibly South Sudan.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of M. sundevallii are shrubland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).^[1]

Description

M. sundevallii usually has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in), but may grow to almost 9 cm (3.5 in) SVL. Dorsally, it is grayish or light brown, with dark brown speckling. Ventrally, it is uniformly cream-colored, except for the underside of the tail, which may have speckling.^[5]

Reproduction

M. sundevallii is oviparous.^[2]