A Long-Known New Species of the Trachylepis maculilabris Species Complex (Squamata: Scincidae) from South-Eastern Africa

The Eastern African populations of the Trachylepis maculilabris species complex, long recognized as a molecularly distinct but taxonomically unresolved lineage, are formally described as a new species, Trachylepis farooqii. A total of 386 specimens of the T. maculilabris complex from across its known range were morphologically examined, and 214 Trachylepis specimens were included in the molecular phylogeny. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial (16S and ND2) and nuclear (RAG1) genes recovered the East African populations as a separate lineage. The East African populations also showed a high degree of genetic distance for the 16S, ND2, and RAG1 genes when compared to the most genetically similar species. Haplotype network analysis revealed a clear geographic structuring of haplotypes across regions, with the new species described here restricted to Eastern Africa. Trachylepis farooqii, sp. nov., can be distinguished phenotypically from Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845) by usually having orange dorsolateral bands. The morphological assessments align with the molecular phylogeny and provide robust evidence for the designation of those Eastern African populations as a new species, increasing the number of Trachylepis species in Mozambique to 15.