Benson's mabuya (Trachylepis bensonii) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to Western Africa.

Trachylepis bensonii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Trachylepis
Species:
T. bensonii
Binomial name
Trachylepis bensonii
(W. Peters, 1867)
Synonyms[2]
  • Euprepes (Euprepis) Bensonii
    W. Peters, 1867
  • Mabuya bensonii
    Greer et al., 2000
  • Trachylepis bensonii
    Bauer, 2003

Etymology

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The specific name, bensonii, is in honor of Stephen Allen Benson, who was President of Liberia from 1856 to 1864.[3]

Geographic range

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T. bensonii is found in Liberia and Sierra Leone.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of T. bensonii are forest, savanna, and rocky areas, at altitudes of 200–1,200 m (660–3,940 ft).[1]

Reproduction

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T. bensonii is oviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Trape, J.-F. (2013). "Trachylepis bensonii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T178651A16909287. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T178651A16909287.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Trachylepis bensonii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 March 2015.
  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. (Mabuya bensonii, p. 23).

Further reading

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  • Bauer AM (2003). "On the identity of Lacerta punctata Linnaeus 1758, the type species of the genus Euprepis Wagler 1830, and the generic assignment of Afro-Malagasy skinks". African Journal of Herpetology 52 (1): 1–7. (Trachylepis bensonii, new combination).
  • Peters W (1867). "Herpetologische Notizen ". Monatsberichte der Königlich-Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1867: 13–37.
    ("Euprepes (Euprepis) Bensonii ", new species, pp. 20–21). (in German).
  • Trape J-F, Trape S, Chirio L (2012). Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. Paris: IRD Orstom. 503 pp. ISBN 978-2709917261. (in French).