Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845)

Lobón-Rovira, Javier, Lobón-Rovira, Baptista, Ninda L, Clark, Tyron, Verburgt, Luke, Jongsma, Gregory Fm, Conradie, Werner, and, Luis Veríssimo, Vaz, Pedro & Pinto, 2025, Filling the gaps: herpetological checklist of Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province (Angola) shed light on one of the most unexplored corners of tropical Central Africa, African Journal of Herpetology 74 (1), pp. 1-59 : 1-59

Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845)

Figure 8P

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Caio Cacongo; –5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a.s.l.; P2.104; GenBank: PQ456021. • Mayombe NP, Mbundu; –4.6875, 12.4981; 127 m a.s.l.; P3.220; GenBank: PQ456022.

Identification. A medium-sized skink (max. SVL = 95 mm) with robust limbs and body. Dorsum olive-grey to dark brown, with scattered white to yellowish speckles on the flanks and limbs. Venter, throat and infralabials cream to yellow, uniformly coloured ( Ceríaco et al. 2024). Specimens from Cabinda Province differ by ∼1% (16S p -distance) from specimens from Nyanga, Gabon (GenBank: MK792018 ) and Mambasa, DRC (GenBank: MK496123 ). However, they differ by ∼3.9% from material south of the Congo River at Cuanza-Sul Province, Angola (GenBank: MK792017 ).

Biology and distribution. Trachylepis maculilabris is the arboreal skink with the widest distribution in Africa ( Allen et al. 2019). In Cabinda Province, the species was recorded from the coast to Lower Mayombe, being found in clearings, patches of secondary or degraded forest, and in farmland and on buildings.

Figures

Figure 8. Some of the reptile species recorded from from Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Kinixys erosa (P2.208) from Inhuca. B. Osteolaemus tetraspis (P2.064) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe. C. Chamaeleo dilepis (EI 817), D. Agama congica and E. Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus from near Nganzi. F. Holaspis guentheri from Vaku, Upper Mayombe. G. H. mabouia (P2.232) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. G. Hemidactylus pfindaensis (EI 1136) from near Nganzi, and I. H. pfindaensis (P2.234) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. J. Lygodactylus aff. laterimaculatus (P3.199) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. K. Feylinia grandisquamis from near Nganzi. L. Panaspis breviceps (P2.205), from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. M. P. cabindae (EI 1135) from near Nganzi. N. Trachylepis albolabris (P3.130) from Mbundu, Lower Mayombe, and O. from near Nganzi. P. T. maculilabris and Q. T. polytropis (P3.218) from Mbundu, Lower Mayombe. R. Dipsadoboa weileri (P3.151) from Mbundu, Lower Mayombe S. Grayia ornata (P3.145) from Chimbete, Lower Mayombe. T. Hapsidophrys smaragdinus (P1.144) from Tando Zinze. U. Dendroaspis jamesoni, from near Nganzi. V. Naja melanoleuca killed by farmers at Nganzi. W. Psammophis mossambicus (EI 809) from near Nganzi. X. Python sebae from a street market in Cabinda City. Photographs by PVP (A–B, G, I–J, L, N, Q), JLR (R–S), TC (T–U, X), LV (C–E, V–W), Alex Rebelo (H, K, M), Rogério Ferreira (F, P).