Chalcides lanzai explained

Chalcides lanzai, or Lanza's skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Morocco.

Taxonomy

Chalcides lanzai has been considered a subspecies of Chalcides montanus and of Chalcides ocellatus.

Etymology

The specific name, lanzai, is in honor of Italian herpetologist Benedetto Lanza.^[1]

Habitat

C. lanzai is usually found in forest and grassland areas, and is common in the areas where it can be found.

Conservation status

C. lanzai is unlikely to be under serious threat, though it has been affected from habitat degradation due to overgrazing.

Reproduction

Adult females of the species C. lanzai give birth to live young. Its mode of reproduction has been described as being viviparous and as being ovoviviparous.

Further reading

• Pasteur G (1967). "Notes sur les sauriens du genre Chalcides (Scincidés). II. Premièr note sur le complexe de Chalcides ocellatus, avec description de Chalcides ocellatus lanzai". Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles et Physiques du Maroc 47: 395–398. (Chalcides ocellatus lanzai, new subspecies). (in French).

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]