Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Family Scincidae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Squamata Genus Trachylepis | |
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Scientific name Trachylepis quinquetaeniata Similar Trachylepis, Mabuya, Trachylepis margaritifera, Trachylepis striata, Trachylepis perrotetii | ||
The Five-lined Mabuya (Trachylepis quinquetaeniata, formerly Mabuya quinquetaeniata), sometimes called Rainbow Mabuya, blue-tailed Skink (due to the blue tail) or Rainbow Skink is a species of African skink in the subfamily Lygosominae. Trachylepis margaritifera is also known as the Rainbow Skink.
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Taxonomy
The species has three subspecies:
Trachylepis quinquetaeniata quinquetaeniata (Lichtenstein, 1823) Trachylepis quinquetaeniata langheldi (Sternfeld, 1917) Trachylepis quinquetaeniata riggenbachi (Sternfeld, 1910)Trachylepis margaritifera, formerly treated as a subspecies of T. quinquetaeniata, was elevated to full species status in 1998.
Captivity
This species is founded in the reptile trade.
Description
Trachylepis quinquetaeniata is a medium sized lizard reaching a length of about 20 centimetres (7.9 in). The coloration of this species is quite variable, depending on the gender and the age. The scales are glossy, with metallic reflections. The basic colour is usually olive-brown or dark brown, sometimes with pearly whitish spots and with three light olive or dark brown stripes running from the head to the electric blue tail. These stripes may fade and become indistinct in the adults.
The head shows a pointed snout and clearly visible ears holes. Just behind the ear opening, there are some black spots. Legs are dark brown, short and strong, with relatively long toes. The flanks are mainly yellowish and the underside of the body is whitish.
Distribution
It is found in Egypt and southern Africa.
