Trachylepis varia (Peters, 1867)

Ceríaco, L. M. P., De Sá, S., Bandeira, S., Valério, H., Stanley, E. L., Kuhn, A. L., Marques, M. P., Vindum, J. V., Blackburn, D. C. & Bauer, A. M., 2016, Herpetological Survey of Iona National Park and Namibe Regional Natural Park, with a Synoptic List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Namibe Province, Southwestern Angola, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63 (2), pp. 15-61 : 31

VARIABLE SKINK

Trachylepis varia (Peters, 1867)

MATERIAL.— Leba Pass, 5 December 2013, 15º4ʹ12.1ʺS, 13º14ʹ36.2ʺE, 1680 m ( CAS 254874 ), 15º4ʹ13.2ʺS, 13º14ʹ37.7ʺE, 1676 m ( CAS 254884 ) .

COMMENTS.— The species occurs throughout Angola, with many records in the provinces of Benguela ( Parker 1936; Bocage 1895, 1896; Monard 1937; Hellmich 1957a; Mertens 1938; Boulenger 1905) and Huila ( Bocage 1895; Monard 1937). Although other records from Namibe are 12 km W of Humbia (TM 40128–29) and Chapeau Armado turnoff (TM 41131). This species is typically associated with relatively mesic microclimates and is, therefore, excluded from the hyperarid areas of Namibe. This skink has a broad distribution across much of sub-Saharan Africa and includes several cryptic species, two of which are present in Angola. There are records from across Angola and from all bordering countries as well. The phylogeography of the T. varia complex is presently under study (J. Weinell, pers. comm.).