About Trachylepis punctatissima (Smith, 1849)
This species of skink, Trachylepis punctatissima, has a dark grey-brown body with two lengthwise golden brown stripes running on either side of the spine. Its underside is dirty white or pale grey. Both adult males and females reach a total length of approximately 19 centimeters (7.5 inches). This species is native to eastern Zambia, southern Malawi and Botswana, eastern Zimbabwe, and central and northern South Africa, Lesotho, and western Eswatini. The population found on Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi was formerly classified as Mabuya striata subsp. punctatissima, but is now recognized as the separate full species Trachylepis mlanjensis. The population in Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands may also turn out to be a distinct species.
