Lepidothyris Cope, 1892

Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoude, Trape, Jean-François, Afiademanyo, Komlan M., Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Ohler, Annemarie, Dubois, Alain, David, Patrick, Meirte, Danny, Glitho, Isabelle Adolé, Petrozzi, Fabio & Luiselli, Luca, 2015, Checklist of the lizards of Togo (West Africa), with comments on systematics, distribution, ecology, and conservation, Zoosystema 37 (2), pp. 381-402 : 387

Genus Lepidothyris Cope, 1892

Lepidothyris fernandi ( Burton, 1836) ( Fig. 4 )

Tiliqua fernandi Burton, 1836: 62 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 14 specimens: Togo. Badou , MNHN 2006.2243 , ZMB 77925-77929 ; Notsé , MNHN 2006.2242 ; Badou , ZMB 77925-77929 .

Bénin. No precise locality, MNHN 1986.768-769.

HABITATS, NATURAL HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Lepidothyris fernandi is essentially a forest species, although in Nigeria it may also be found in plantations at the border of the main forest ( Akani et al. 2009). This species is usually active in the evening, and most of the specimens spend the whole day inside their burrows ( Akani et al. 2009). Isopoda and Coleoptera dominated in the dietary samples of Nigerian specimens, but also other lizards were frequently eaten (at least in swamp forest habitat during the wet season; Eniang et al. 2014b). This species is here recorded for the first time from Togo, although many individuals (for instance, up to 1540 specimens between 2001 and 2005) are regularly exported every year for the pet trade. The genus attribution of this species follows Wagner et al. (2009).

Figures

FIG. 4. — Lepidothyris fernandi (Burton, 1836).