Burrowing skinks of the genus Sepsina Bocage, 1866 (Squamata: Scincidae) have a complex taxonomic history and are particularly diverse, although poorly known, in Angola. With elongated bodies and reduced limbs, the five recognized species of the genus can be diagnosed based on the presence or absence of forelimbs and the number and relative size of digits. Sepsina bayonii (Bocage, 1866) is the most distinctive species of the genus, being the only taxon without forelimbs and a single digit on the hind limbs. Revision of historical material from the collections of the California Academy of Sciences revealed the presence of two specimens without forelimbs, but differing from S. bayonii in the number of digits on each hind limb. Considering this unique combination of morphological diagnostic characters, we herein describe a new species from Angola, Sepsina caluanda. This discovery highlights the importance of natural history collections and the revision of historical material for the description of biodiversity and alerts to the threat of habitat loss due to rapid urban growth.
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10 January 2025
Buried in the Sands of Time: A New Species of Sepsina Bocage, 1866, from Angola (Squamata: Scincidae)
Diogo Parrinha,
Mariana P. Marques,
Ana Carolina Andrade De Sousa,
Aaron M. Bauer,
Luis M.P. Ceríaco
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Annals of Carnegie Museum
Vol. 90 • No. 3
January 2025
Vol. 90 • No. 3
January 2025
Africa
Endemism
herpetofauna
Luanda
natural history collections
taxonomy
