Mochlus lanceolatus (BROADLEY, 1990)

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Higher Taxa	Scincidae, Lygosominae (Lygosomini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Broadley's Writhing Skink
Synonym	Lygosoma lanceolatum BROADLEY 1990: 477 Mochlus lanceolatus — FREITAS et al. 2019 Mochlus lanceolatus — CHAPPLE et al. 2021
Distribution	Bazaruto Archipelago (Mozambique) Type locality: Benguerua Island, Mozambique.
Reproduction	oviparous
Types	Holotype: NMZB 10031
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: A medium-sized Lygosoma (sensu Greer, 1977) with: scaly lower eyelid; frontoparietals paired; supranasal discrete and nasal undivided; supranasals in median contact; prefrontals frequently (50%) fused with the frontonasal; no presubocular; two preoculars; four supralabials anterior to the suboculars; one postsupralabial; ear opening with a lanceolate lobule on its upper anterior border; tail considerably shorter than head + body; 24-26 scales round body midway between axilla and groin, scales smooth in adults, but dorsals tricarinate in the juvenile; 61-66 scales between the mental and the precloacal shields. (Broadley 1990)
Comment	Lygosoma lanceolatum was preliminarily included in the genus Mochlus sensu Freitas et al. 2019, but they did not have DNA available and were thus not conclusively able to assign the species to Mochlus.
Etymology	The name lanceolatum refers to the long lanceolate ear lobule which is diagnostic for this species.
References	Broadley D G 1990. The herpetofaunas of the islands off the coast of south Mocambique. Arnoldia Zimbabwe 9 (35): 469-493 Broadley, D G. 1994. A review of Lygosoma Hardwicke and Gray 1827 (Reptilia Scincidae) on the East African Coast, with the description of a new species. Tropical Zoology 7 (1): 217-222. - get paper here Chapple, David G; Roll, Uri; Böhm, Monika; Aguilar, Rocío Amey, Andrew P Austin, Chris C Baling, Marleen Barley, Anthony J Bates, Michael F Bauer, Aaron M Blackburn, Daniel G Bowles, Phil Brown, Rafe M Chandramouli, S R Chirio, Laurent Cogger, Hal Co 2021. Conservation Status of the World’s Skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and Geographic Patterns in Extinction Risk. Biological Conservation 257: 109101 - get paper here FREITAS, ELYSE S.; ANIRUDDHA DATTA-ROY, PRAVEEN KARANTH, L. LEE GRISMER and CAMERON D. SILER 2019. Multilocus phylogeny and a new classification for African, Asian and Indian supple and writhing skinks (Scincidae: Lygosominae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 186 (4): 1067–1096 - get paper here Jacobsen, Niels H.G.; Errol W. Pietersen & Darren W. Pietersen 2010. A preliminary herpetological survey of the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula, Vilankulo, Mozambique. Herpetology Notes 3: 181-193
External links	IUCN Red List Google images

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