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Trachylepis dichroma GÜNTHER, WHITING & BAUER, 2005

IUCN Red List - Trachylepis dichroma - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaScincidae, Mabuyinae (Mabuyini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Two-coloured skink 
SynonymTrachylepis dichroma GÜNTHER, WHITING & BAUER 2005
Trachylepis dichroma — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 138 
DistributionKenya, Tanzania

Type locality: unknown but thought to be from Dodoma in central Tanzania.  
Reproductionviviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: ZMB 67016, purchased from a pet shop in Berlin. Paratypes: ZFMK 71721, subadult female, ZMB 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: SVL of adults 100-120 mm, midbody scale rows 36-38, number of paravertebral scales 52-57 and two keels on dorsal and lateral scales. 
Comment 
EtymologyNamed after the Greek prefix "di-", denoting two, and the Greek root word "chroma", meaning color. The name dichroma refers to the fact that adult males and females of the new species exhibit two different color patterns, at least during the mating season. During this period (and sometimes over many months) the males exhibit an intensive orange colored venter and a blue throat, while the females exhibit a beige venter and a grey throat. 
References
  • Böhme, Wolfgang 2014. Herpetology in Bonn. Mertensiella 21. vi + 256 pp. - get paper here
  • BRANCH, W. R. & KILPIN, A. & BERADUCCI, J. 2007. Trachylepis dichroma GÜNTHER, WHITING & BAUER, 2005: additional Tanzanian material and restriction of the type locality [Short Note]. Herpetozoa 20 - get paper here
  • Günther, Rainer, Alison S. Whiting and Aaron M. Bauer 2005. Description of a new species of African skink of the genus Trachylepis (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae). Herpetozoa 18 (1-2): 11-24 - get paper here
  • Sindaco, R., Metallinou, M., Pupin, F., Fasola, M. & Carranza, S. 2012. Forgotten in the ocean: systematics, biogeography and evolution of the Trachylepis skinks of the Socotra Archipelago. Zoologica Scripta - get paper here
  • Spawls, Stephen; Tomáš Mazuch& Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - get paper here
  • Spawls, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 pp. - get paper here
  • Wasonga, Domnick Victor and Patrick K. Malonza 2006. Presence of Trachylepis dichroma Günther, Whiting and Bauer, 2005 (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) in Kenya. African Journal of Herpetology 55 (1): 75-78. - get paper here
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
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