NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Pemba Island Writhing Skink
Mochlus pembanus (Boettger, 1913)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Mochlus pembanus, also known as the Pemba Island writhing skink, is a species of skink. It is found on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania and in coastal Kenya; the latter could be introductions.
Mochlus pembanus is fossorial and nocturnal. It occurs in coastal woodland and in a range of agricultural habitats. It is very common on Pemba and regularly encountered in Kenya. It can grow to 89 mm (3.5 in) in snout–vent length.
Wikipedia contributors, Mochlus pembanus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:46:20.149475+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mochlus pembanus (Boettger, 1913)
- Name authority
- (Boettger, 1913)
- Common name
- Pemba Island Writhing Skink
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Mochlus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyScincidae
- subfamilyLygosominae
- genusMochlus
- speciesMochlus pembanus (Boettger, 1913)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mochlus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Abyssinian Writhing SkinkMochlus paedocarinatus Lanza & Carfi, 1968 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Boulenger's Writhing SkinkMochlus productus (Boulenger, 1909) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Simonetta's Writhing SkinkMochlus simonettai (Lanza, 1979) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Peters' Eyelid SkinkMochlus sundevallii (Smith, 1849) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Loveridge's Writhing SkinkMochlus tanae (Loveridge, 1935) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Vinciguerra's Writhing SkinkMochlus vinciguerrae (Parker, 1932) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| African fire skinkMochlus fernandi (Burton, 1836) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mochlus striatus (Hallowell, 1854) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common Writhing SkinkMochlus laeviceps (Peters, 1874) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mafia writhing skinkMochlus mafianus (Broadley, 1994) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mochlus brevicaudis (Greer, Grandison & Barbault, 1985) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lanza's Writhing SkinkMochlus grandisonianus Lanza & Carfi, 1966 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lygosoma (Riopa) pembanum Boettger, 1913 Boettger, 1913 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Mochlus&species=pembanus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:8H6SZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.