Acontias percivali

Taxobox
name = Percival's Lance Skink
"Acontias percivali"

---

image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Sauria
familia = Scincidae
genus = "Acontias"
species = "A. percivali"
binomial = "Acontias percivali"
binomial_authority = (Loveridge, 1935 )

"Acontias percivali", also known as Percival's Legless Lizard, Tanzanian Legless Lizard, and Percival's Lance Skink, is a small, legless (snake-like) species of lizard in the family Scincidae, collectively known as "skinks".

Distribution

The species' range is limited to continental Africa and includes regions of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Angola, and Tanzania.

Habitat

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

ubspecies

There are three subspecies of "Acontias percivali":
* "Acontias percivali tasmani"
* "Acontias percivali occidentalis"
* "Acontias percivali percivali"

"Acontias percivali tasmani" may be a subspecies of "Acontias meleagris" as seen after recent DNA sequencing tests.

Description

Percival's lance skinks can be identified by their copper-brown back and gold underside. They are insectivores that specialize in feeding on beetle larvae, earthworms, and other slow-moving invertebrates. They are live bearing (ovoviviparous) and have 1 to 5 neonates at a time.

As pets

Although this animal is poorly understood, it is occasionally seen in pet shops. Most "acontias" that appear in the pet trade are wild-collected individuals of this species. In captivity, they require a deep layer of sandy substrate and hollow hiding places on the surface. They should be kept warm in the seventies (Fahrenheit) with a slightly warmer spot in the soil with about 30% humidity. They should be fed small mealworms, earthworms, or other slow-moving insect larvae. They can be kept in groups or alone. "Acontias" do not require a 'basking lamp' or any special lighting. Male "acontias" can be distinguished from females by a slightly larger head. Captive breeding is possible, but currently has not been accomplished commercially. Care should be taken to make sure the young are well hydrated by providing higher humidity shortly after their birth.

References

* Branch, W. R. 1991, "Life History Note: Acontias percivali tasmani: Size and Predation" Jour. Herp. Ass. Afr. (39): 23-23
* [http://inbio.byu.edu/faculty/kac/crandall_lab/docsdata/pdf_files/2005/Daniels2005.pdf Unraveling evolutionary lineages in the limbless fossorial skink genus "Acontias"]