Vaillant’s Mabuya (Chioninia vaillanti vaillanti)

This large skink has a snout-vent length of 92-123 mm and a mean value of 110.4mm. Robustly built, it has a series of golden to dark brown longitudinal stripes on the back but is mainly distinguished by its orange-reddish snout. C. vaillanti vaillanti is relegated to Santiago (Cape Verde), while the smaller subspecies C. vaillanti xanthotis is found on Fogo and the islets of Rombos. It shelters under rocks and in stone walls, and is essentially diurnal, like the other species of the endemic genus Chioninia. It feeds on insects (grasshoppers, ants, beetles and others) and on the leaves and buds of some plants, and is therefore considered an omnivore. As with other related taxa, it is ovoviviparous and hatchlings measure 8 cm. The biology of this skink has been studied in captivity. This reptile is uncommon and has a scattered distribution (although more detailed information is required on this point), hence its classification as undetermined.