Mochlus tanae, also known commonly as Loveridge's writhing skink or the Tana River writhing skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to East Africa.

Mochlus tanae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Mochlus
Species:
M. tanae
Binomial name
Mochlus tanae
(Loveridge, 1935)
Synonyms[2]
  • Riopa tanae
    Loveridge, 1935
  • Lygosoma tanae
    Lanza, 1990
  • Mochlus tanae
    Spawls et al., 2018

Etymology

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The specific name, tanae refers to the Tana River of Kenya.[3]

Geographic range

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M. tanae is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.[2]

Reproduction

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M. tanae is viviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Malonza, P.; Msuya, C.A.; Spawls, S. (2021). "Mochlus tanae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T14669350A14669392. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T14669350A14669392.en. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Mochlus tanae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 7 April 2020.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lygosoma tanae, p. 260).

Further reading

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  • Lanza B (1990). "Amphibians and Reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: check list and biogeography". Biogeographia 14: 407–465. (Lygosoma tanae, new combination).
  • Loveridge A (1935). "Scientific Results of an Expedition to Rain Forest Regions in Eastern Africa. I. New Reptiles and Amphibians from East Africa". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College 79 (1): 1–19. (Riopa tanae, new species, pp. 11–12).
  • Spawls, Stephen; Howell, Kim; Hinkel, Harald; Menegon, Michele (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Mochlus tanae, new combination, p. 155).