Lizards > Skinks > Striped Legless Skink

Skinks (Scincidae; skinke, gladde akkedisse)

Striped Legless Skink / Gestreepte Pootlose Skink

Acontias lineatus

Size A small legless skink with adult snout-vent length in the region of 130-150 mm.

Description Limbs are absent. The snout is flattened and spadelike. There are no external ear openings and the movable lower eyelids are transparent. The tail is flattened below. Coloration is variable, from uniformly black above and below, to yellow above with 4-10 dark stripes or rows of spots, to having transverse dark markings on the dorsal body scales. The belly is usually flesh-coloured.

Biology The Striped Legless Skink is a burrower and is normally found in the loose soil at the base of scrubs in arid regions. It is viviparous and females possibly only have a single baby per season.

Distribution It has a wide distribution, from southern Namibia, inland through Bushmanland to the Great Karoo, and along the coast through Namaqualand to just north of Cape Town.

Distribution in the GCBC Probably present in all lowland areas within the corridor.

Conservation status Not listed.

Threats None.

Current studies None.