Research Article

A new species of African legless skink, genus Acontias Cuvier, 1816 “1817” (Squamata: Scincidae) from Serra da Neve inselberg, south-western Angola

Published in: African Journal of Herpetology
Volume 72 , issue 2 , 2023 , pages: 145–162

DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2023.2246487

Author(s): Mariana P. Marques Carnegie Museum of Natural History, USA , Diogo Parrinha Universidade do Porto, Portugal , Arthur Tiutenko Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany , Manuel Lopes-Lima Universidade do Porto, Portugal , Aaron M. Bauer Villanova University, USA , Luis M. P. Ceríaco Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Keywords: Acontinae , taxonomy , endemism , speciation , systematics

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Abstract

During a recent survey of the Serra da Neve inselberg in south-western Angola, a population of legless skinks of the genus Acontias was found. Only three species of this genus have been recorded for the country so far – A. occidentalis, A. kgalagadi and A. jappi. Using an integrative approach and combining molecular and morphological data we found that the Serra da Neve population represents a new species, closely related to species such as A. percivali and some members of the A. occidentalis species complex. In this paper, we describe this population as a new species, Acontias mukwando sp. nov. and provide brief comments on its conservation and biogeography.

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