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Trachylepis margaritifer (PETERS, 1854)

IUCN Red List - Trachylepis margaritifer - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaScincidae, Mabuyinae (Mabuyini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Rainbow skink
G: Blauschwanzskink 
SynonymEuprepes margaritifer PETERS 1854: 618
Mabuia obsti WERNER 1913: 43
Mabuya obsti — LOVERIDGE 1923
Mabuia quinquetaeniata — WITTE 1933
Mabuya quinquetaeniata obsti — LOVERIDGE 1936: 68
Mabuya quinquetaeniata obsti — BROADLEY 1962
Mabuya quinquetaeniata margaritifer — BROADLEY 1962
Mabuya quinquetaeniata margaritifer — PIENAAR 1978
Mabuya quinquetaeniata margaritifer — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 15
Mabuya margaritifer — BRANCH 1993
Mabuya quinquetaeniata margaritifer — BAUER et al. 1995: 62
Mabuya margaritifera — BROADLEY & BAUER 1999
Euprepis margaritiferus — MAUSFELD et al. 2002
Trachylepis margaritifera — BAUER 2003
Trachylepis margaritifer — BRANCH et al. 2005
Mabuya margaritifer — COOPER 2005
Trachylepis margaritifer — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 142
Trachylepis margaritifer — PIETERSEN et al. 2021
Trachylepis margaritifer — STANDER 2023: 222 
DistributionKenya, Malawi, Tanzania, south to Natal, Republic of South Africa, west through the Transvaal and Zimbabwe to eastern Botswana, E Zambia, W Mozambique

Type locality: Tete, Mozambique.
Type locality: Kwa Mtoro, Usandawi, Tanzania [obsti]  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesSyntypes: ZMB 1232, 1232A-D, 3967, 3967A, 3968-9, 9396, 9396A-C 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 396 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: records from Uganda (as in Broadly & Howell 1991: 15) may be in error and actually refer to M. quinquetaeniata s.str. Not listed for Uganda in Kingdon & Branch 2010. See Map in Broadley & Bauer 1998: 51. 
EtymologyApparently named after Latin margarita = pearl, for the small white spots. 
References
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