Lepidothyris striatus (Hallowell, 1854)

Wagner, Philipp, Böhme, Wolfgang, Pauwels, Olivier S. G. & Schmitz, Andreas, 2009, A review of the African red – flanked skinks of the Lygosoma fernandi (BURTON, 1836) species group (Squamata: Scincidae) and the role of climate change in their speciation., Zootaxa 2050, pp. 1-30 : 16-17

Lepidothyris striatus (Hallowell, 1854)

1854 Euprepis striatus Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. , p. 98. Type locality: „ Liberia “ (sic; corrected by Hallowell (1860) to Gabon).

1883 Euprepes (Tiliqua) elegans Fischer, Jahresber. Naturhist. Mus. Hamb. 1–16, fig. i–xv. Type locality: Sierra Leone. 1884 Euprepes leoninus Fischer, Abh. Geb. Naturw. , 8 (2): 43–51. Type locality: Sierra Leone.

Syntype: ANSP 9535 Gabon, leg. Ford, 1854

Syntype: ANSP 9536 Gabon, leg. Ford, 1854

Diagnosis: L. striatus is distinguishable from the other taxa of the genus Lepidothyris by different aspects in morphology and colouration:

L. hinkeli is smaller in size and also has an ear opening with two lobule scales. L. hinkeli has 34 to 38 scale rows around midbody instead of 32 to 35 in L. striatus ; longitudinal ventral scales differs from 61 to 77 in L. hinkeli instead of 57 to 67 in L. striatus , colouration of the throat is speckled black instead of the pure white throat of L. hinkeli .

L. fernandi has the same size but lobule scales as in L. striatus are lacking. L. fernandi has 31 to 34 scales rows around midbody and 56 to 67 longitudinal ventral scales.

Colouration. Both taxa differ in colouration from L. striatus : both have distinct lateral dark bars and stripes, which are lacking in L. striatus , who is speckled black, red and white. The belly of both L. hinkeli and L. striatus is white, and only more or less white in L. fernandi , who shows consistently pale red stripes; L. fernandi and L. striatus have a throat speckled with darker spots, L. hinkeli has a pure white throat.

L. striatus has the following combination of characters: body long and bulky; head short but high and bulky, not well set off against the body, scales on head smooth; nostrils positioned laterally; ear opening with two lobule scales; dorsal scales with three strong keels, lateral scales weaker keeled with three keels, ventral scales smooth; limbs are short but strong; tail strong and not compressed, tail scales with three keels.

Colouration in life: dorsal and lateral parts of the body speckled red, black and white, front part of the body and lateral sides of the head predominantly red, lateral parts of the body and tail predominantly black in colour; upper side of the extremities dark red to black, underside white to cream; belly ground coloured white to cream with chestnut brown to dark red pale stripes on the throat.

Size. In average L. striatus reaches a SVL of 155.6 with a maximum of 166.5 and a minimum of 137.0 mm.