Bridled Mabuya
Encyclopedia
The Bridled Mabuya or Bridled Skink (Trachylepis vittata) is a species
of skink
s found in North Africa
and Middle East
. The length of those skinks is up to 22 cm.
The binomial name
of this species has seen multiple updates in early 2000. The current binomial name Trachylepis vittata was defined by Bauer in 2003, previously it was known as Mabuya vittata and for short period as Eutropis vittata. The reason for those changes is an attempt to divide the vast genus
Mabuya in a few smaller genera.
The Bridled Mabuya lives in open sandy or stony soil with little grass or bushy vegetation. It is usually found near water; in Egypt in the Wetlands and near oases in Tunisia. It can grow up to 22 centimeters long and has a smooth, shiny, body with overlapping scales. Their heads are cone shaped and they have elongated bodies and a tapering tail that is easily broken but can be regenerated.
The Bridled Mabuya feeds primarily on insects and other arthropods.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
s found in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. The length of those skinks is up to 22 cm.
The binomial name
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
of this species has seen multiple updates in early 2000. The current binomial name Trachylepis vittata was defined by Bauer in 2003, previously it was known as Mabuya vittata and for short period as Eutropis vittata. The reason for those changes is an attempt to divide the vast genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Mabuya in a few smaller genera.
The Bridled Mabuya lives in open sandy or stony soil with little grass or bushy vegetation. It is usually found near water; in Egypt in the Wetlands and near oases in Tunisia. It can grow up to 22 centimeters long and has a smooth, shiny, body with overlapping scales. Their heads are cone shaped and they have elongated bodies and a tapering tail that is easily broken but can be regenerated.
The Bridled Mabuya feeds primarily on insects and other arthropods.