Laurent’s elusive skinks: A taxonomic review of Eumecia anchietae major Laurent, 1964, Eumecia anchietae wittei Laurent, 1964 and Lubuya ivensii septemlineata (Laurent, 1964)

Abstract

Eumecia anchietae Bocage, 1870 and Lubuya ivensii (Bocage, 1879) are elusive and infrequently recorded skinks, with sparse and patchy distributions across central African and poorly understood taxonomic boundaries. Recent sampling has provided new morphological and genetic material referable to the subspecies E. anchietae major, E. a. wittei, and L. ivensii septemlineata, allowing for the first comprehensive assessment of their taxonomic validity. Across its extensive range of more than 2 500 km, E. anchietae exhibits remarkably low genetic divergence, consistent with its highly mobile, grassland-associated ecology. Examination of morphological features of specimens from throughout its range reveals frequent head scale fusion, which does not support the recognition of discrete taxa. In contrast, L. ivensii, a riverine specialist, exhibits pronounced genetic divergence among geographically structured populations separated by up to 700 km. However, patterns of genetic isolation by distance, along with overlapping morphological and colour variation, suggest population-level structure within a single species rather than the existence of multiple distinct taxa. Based on the combined morphological and molecular evidence, E. a. major, E. a. wittei, and L. i. septemlineata are not considered taxonomically valid and are hereby synonymised with their respective nominal species. Updated systematic accounts and revised distributional data are presented for both genera.