The Algerian three-toed skink (''Chalcides mertensi'') is a species of "grass-swimming"

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

with an elongated serpentine shape and reduced limbs. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to north-western Africa.

Distribution

It is native to northern Algeria and northern Tunisia, where it occurs on the Mediterranean coast.

Habitat

The Algerian three-toed skink lives in forested areas in northern Algeria, and in semi-arid maquis-type habitats in Algeria and Tunisia. It prefers humid, sunny areas with dense vegetation within grassland, meadows, areas close to streams, hedges, open cork oak forest, and the edges of cultivated areas. It is also known from tall herbaceous grassland. The females give birth to formed young. It has been recorded from sea level up to 1,500 m above sea level.

Taxonomy

The Algerian three-toed skink was formerly considered to be as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the Italian three-toed skink '' Chalcides chalcides'', but it was raised to species status by Caputo (1993). It has further been proposed that as molecular studies identified different lineages of the Algerian three-toed skink from samples in the northern and southern parts of its range in Tunisia and suggest there are at least two species present but recommended further research. Another molecular study showed that this species was in a clade of ''

Chalcides ''Chalcides'' is a genus of skinks ( family Scincidae). It is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae (= Scincidae ''sensu'' Hedges 2014), a monophyletic clade of primarily African skinks. Species The following species A species () ...

'' called the grass-swimming clade alongside ''Chalcides chalcides'', ''

Chalcides minutus ''Chalcides minutus'', or the small three-toed skink, is a species of skink found in northeastern Morocco, northwestern Algeria, and on the Spanish island of Melilla. Recent molecular studies have revealed that ''C. minutus'' could be a composit ...

'' and '' Chalcides mauritanicus'', '' Chalcides guentheri'', '' Chalcides pseudostriatus'' and ''

Chalcides striatus The western three-toed skink (''Chalcides striatus'') is a species of lizard with tiny legs in the family Scincidae. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and parts of northwestern Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests ...

'', and it seems to be closest to eastern specimens of ''Chalcides minutus'' rather than ''Chalcides chalcides''.

Conservation

The Algerian three-toed skink is listed as least concern but is threatened by habitat loss caused by

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

and the conversion of land to agricultural and urbanisation. It occurs in the

Djurdjura National Park The national park of Djurdjura () is one of the national parks of Algeria. It is located in Kabylie and is named after the Djurdjura Range of the Tell Atlas. Description Nearby cities include Tizi Ouzou to the north and Bouïra to the south ...

in Algeria but is not known to occur in any protected areas in Tunisia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2947786 Skinks of Africa Reptiles of North Africa Chalcides Reptiles described in 1954 Taxa named by Wolfgang Klausewitz Taxonomy articles created by Polbot