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Nucras holubi (STEINDACHNER, 1882)

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Higher TaxaLacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Holub’s Sandveld Lizard 
SynonymEremias holubi STEINDACHNER 1882: 83
Nucras tessellata var. holubi — BOULENGER 1910: 474.
Nucras intertexta var. holubi — BOULENGER 1917: 208
Nucras intertexta holubi — BOULENGER 1920: 20
Nucras intertexta holubi FITZSIMONS 1943: 320 (not of STEINDACHNER, fide BOYCOTT 1992)
Nucras holubi — JACOBSEN 1989
Nucras taeniolata holubi — BAUER et al. 1995
Nucras holubi — CONRADIE et al. 2011
Nucras holubi — EDWARDS et al. 2013
Nucras holubi — TELFORD et al 2022
Nucras holubi — BAUER et al. 2025
Nucras holubii — VAN WYK et al. 2025 
DistributionSouthern Africa, excluding the south-western and western Cape Province, Little and Great Namaqualand., Mozambique, Malawi

Type locality: “Thale des Krokodil- oder Limpopo-Flusses” (Transvaal) [= South Africa]

Recorded localities: Palapye Rd.; Serowe; Leeuwdoornsstad; Nylstroom; Doornkop, nr. Belfast; Dientje, nr. Vaalhoek; Newington; Ingwavuma; Makumbi; Empandeni; Rusape; Filabusi-Shabani; Monte Cassino, TIL Macheke (A.M.). Marandellas (A.M. &. K.M.). Kimberley (A.M., K.M., S A M . & T.M.). Hluhluwe (A.M. & N.M.). Potchefstroom (A.M. & T.M.). Umsinene Drift; nt. Inyamanzi (B.M.). Delport's Hope; Riverton; Belmont; Mafeking; Modder River; Jacobsdal; Taungs; Honeynestkloof; 'Witput; Warrendale; Lobatsi; Umvoma;: Ottoshoop; Premier Mine; Francistown; Molepoiole; Plumtroe (K.M.). Bulawayo (K.M., R.M. & S.A.M.). Junction Umfolosi Rivs. (N.M.). Mariepskop (P.E.M. & T.M.). Outjo; Kaoko Otavi; Otjitondua; Burghersdorp; Smithfield; Machudi; Junction Marico & Crocodile Rivs.; Bindura (SAM.). Acornhoek; Barberton (SAM. & T.M.). Odendaalsrust; Pretoria; Rustenburg;' Krabbefontein; Shilowane;: Pietersburg; Leydsdorp; Haenertsburg; Hectorspruit; Metlepetsi River; Blaauwberg; Silwane; Gravelotte; Medingen.; Perkoe, Olifants,' Riv. Dist.; btwn. Lake Fundusi & Entabeni; Punda Maria; Uanetsi Riv., E. Tvl.; Weenen; ,Mt. Silinda; Birchenough Bridge (T.M.) [from FITZSIMONS 1943: 322].  
Reproduction 
TypesLectotype: NMW 19056, designated by BROADLEY (1972); erroneously reported to be in the ZMB collection. 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. 
CommentNucras taeniolata has been split into 3 species by Jacobsen (1989): Nucras taeniolata, N. holubi STEINDACHNER (1882) and N. ornata GRAY, J. E. (1864).

Synonymy: Broadley 1972 considered Eremias holubi as a synonym of Nucras taeniolata ornata.

Distribution: For localities in Zambia see map in Bauer et al. 2025: 488 (Fig. 5). 
Etymologynamed after the collector, Dr. E. Holub. 
References
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Bauer AM, Murdoch M, Childers JL. 2020. A reevaluation of records of Sandveld lizards, Nucras Gray, 1838 (Squamata: Lacertidae), from northern Namibia. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 14(3) [Taxonomy Section]: 231–250 (e271) - get paper here
  • BAUER, A. M., CHILDERS, J. L., & BURGER, M. 2025. The Nucras (Squamata: Lacertidae) of the eastern Zambezi River Basin, with the description of a new species from Zambia. Zootaxa 5632 (3): 480-500 - get paper here
  • Bauer, Aaron M.;Günther, Rainer 1995. An annotated type catalogue of the lacertids (Reptilia: Lacertidae) in the Zoological Museum, Berlin. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 71 (1): 37-62 - get paper here
  • Boulenger,G.A. 1920. Monograph of the Lacertidae, vol. 1. British Museum (London) - get paper here
  • Boycott, R.C. 1992. An Annotated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Swaziland. The Conservation Trust of Swaziland - get paper here
  • Branch, William R. 1993. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 144 S.
  • Branch, William R. & Bauer, Aaron M. 2005. The herpetological contributions of Sir Andrew Smith. SSAR, 80 pp.
  • Broadley, D. G. & HOWELL, K. M. 1991. A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys. Syntarsus 1: 1—70
  • Broadley, D.G. 1962. On some reptile collections from the North-Western and North-Eastern Districts of Southern Rhodesia 1958-1961, with descriptions of four new lizards. Occ. Pap. Nat. Mus. South. Rhodesia 26 (B): 787-843
  • Broadley, D.G. 1972. A review of the Nucras tessellata group (Sauria: Lacertidae). Arnoldia 20: 1-35
  • Conradie, W. 2012. Geographic Distributions: Nucras taeniolata (Smith, 1838) Albany Sandveld Lizard. African Herp News (58): 21-22 - get paper here
  • Conradie, W., DOUCETTE-RIISE, S., VANHOOYDONCK, B., ENGELBRECHT, H., MEASEY, G.J., & TOLLEY, K. 2011. Herpetological survey of Rooipoort Nature Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa. African Herp News (53): 35-41 - get paper here
  • Conradie, W., ENGELBRECHT, H., HERREL, A., MEASEY, G.J., NIELSEN, S.V., V ANHOOYDONCK, B., & TOLLEY, K.A. 2011. Reptile survey of Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province - South Africa. African Herp News (55): 6-12 - get paper here
  • Conradie, Werner; Brian Reeves , Neil Brown, & Jan A. Venter 2016. Herpetofauna of the Oviston, Commando Drift and Tsolwana nature reserves in the arid interior of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Indago 32: 81-98 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here
  • Edwards, Shelley; Krystal A. Tolley, Bieke Vanhooydonck, G. John Measey and Anthony Herrel 2013. Is dietary niche breadth linked to morphology and performance in Sandveld lizards Nucras (Sauria: Lacertidae)? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, DOI: 10.1111/bij.12148 - get paper here
  • FitzSimons, V.F. 1943. The lizards of South Africa. Transvaal Museum Memoir No.1 (Pretoria), 528 pp.
  • Gemel, R.; G. Gassner & S. Schweiger 2019. Katalog der Typen der Herpetologischen Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien – 2018. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B 121: 33–248 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1864. Notes on some new lizards from south—eastern Africa, with the descriptions of several new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 58—62. - get paper here
  • Jacobsen, N. H. G. 1989. A herpetological survey of the Transvaal. Unpubl. thesis, Univ. Natal, South Africa
  • Pietersen, Darren, Verburgt, Luke & Davies, John 2021. Snakes and other reptiles of Zambia and Malawi. Struik Nature / Penguin Random House South Africa, 376 pp., ISBN 9781775847373
  • Smith, A. 1838. Contributions to the Natural History of Southern Africa. Art. VIII. Mag. Nat. Hist., London, 2 (14): 92-94
  • Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. 2002. A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, 543 pp. [reviews in HR 34: 396 and Afr. J. Herp. 51; 147] - get paper here
  • Steindachner,F. 1882. Über eine neue Eremias-Art aus dem Tale des Limpopo-(Krokodilflusses) in Transvaal. (E. holubi). Sitzungsb. Akad. Wien, 86: 83-85 - get paper here
  • Telford, N. S., ALEXANDER, G. J., BECKER, F. S., CONRADIE, W., JORDAAN, A., KEMP, L., ... & TOLLEY, K. A. 2022. EXTENSIONS TO THE KNOWN GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS OF REPTILES IN THE GREAT KAROO, SOUTH AFRICA. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 17(1), 145-154 - get paper here
  • Tolley KA, Telford NS, Makhubo BG, Power RJ, Alexander GJ 2023. Filling the gap: Noteworthy herpetological discoveries in North West Province, South Africa. Zoosystematics and Evolution 99(1): 101-116 - get paper here
  • Tolley, K.A., Conradie, W., Pietersen, D.W., Weeber, J., Burger, M. & Alexander, G.J. (eds) 2023. Conservation status of the reptiles of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Suricata 10. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria - get paper here
  • Wyk, Kurt M van; Bryan Maritz & Bruce W Clegg 2025. Distribution and status of reptile species in south-eastern Zimbabwe. African Journal of Herpetology, 74:2, 210-270, - get paper here
 
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