Genus:

Ichnotropis PETERS, 1854

Species (8):

Ichnotropis bivittata  BOCAGE, 1866

Ichnotropis capensis  sensu lato (SMITH, 1838)

Ichnotropis chapini  SCHMIDT, 1919

Ichnotropis grandiceps  BROADLEY, 1967

Ichnotropis longicorpa  CONRADIE et al., 2025

Ichnotropis microlepidota  MARX, 1956

Ichnotropis robusta  CONRADIE et al., 2025

Ichnotropis tanganicana  BOULENGER, 1917

Species Typica:

Ichnotropis capensis  sensu lato (SMITH, 1838)

Taxonomic notes:

Key to the genus (CONRADIE et al. 2025):

1a Snout depressed and pointed, prefrontal separated from anterior supraocular by one or two smaller keeled scales ................................................................................ 2
1b Snout robust and rounded, prefrontal mostly in contact with anterior supraocular ...................................................................................................... 5 (I. bivittata group)
2a 43–47 midbody scale rows, body robust, head broad, adult SVL > 70 mm ................................................................................................ 3 (I. grandiceps group)
2b 25–42 midbody scale rows, body slender, head narrow, adult SVL < 65 mm .................................................................................................... 4 (I. capensis group)
3a Confined to the drier Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands or Combretum-Vachellia bushveld in western Zambia and the Zambezi Region of Namibia and adjacent Botswana; occurs below 1000 m a.s.l. ................................................... I. grandiceps
3b Confined to the Angolan Plateau, which consists of moister Angolan Miombo woodland; occurs above 1300 m a.s.l. ......................................................... I. robusta
4a Long, slender body and head; dark black spots/blotches on chin shields and gular scales, no clear upper white dorsolateral line separating dorsolateral black band from dorsal brown vertebral band .................................................................... I. longicorpa
4b Short body and head; no dark black spots/blotches on chin shields or gular scales, clear white upper dorsolateral line separating black dorsolateral band from dorsal brown vertebral band ............................................................... I. capensis sensu lato
5a ≥ 42 (42–50) midbody scale rows, known only from Mt Moco, Angola. ............................................................................................................ I. microlepidota
5b ≤ 42 (28–42) midbody scale rows ......................................................................... 6
6a Presence of dorsolateral blue or yellow spots in life ............................................. 7
6b No dorsolateral blue or yellow spots, only known from north-eastern DRC ....................................................................................................................... I. chapini
7a Prefrontals mostly separated from the anterior supraocular, which is often in contact with the 1st supraciliary; evenly spaced blue dorsolateral spots; occurs in southern DRC, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania ..................................... I. tanganicana
7b Prefrontal mostly in contact with anterior supraocular, which is always in contact with the 1st supraciliary; closely spaced yellow spots above arm; occurs in Angola, eastern DRC, Republic of the Congo and Gabon ....................................... I. bivittata

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Peters, W.C.H. (1854) -  Diagnosen neuer Batrachier, welche zusammen mit der früher (24. Juli und 17. August) gegebenen Übersicht der Schlangen und Eidechsen mitgetheilt werden. -  Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königlichen Preussische Akademie des Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1854: 614-628.  

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• Laurent, R.F. (1964) -  Ichnotropis -  In: Reptiles et batraciens de l`Angola (troisième note). Companhia de Diamantes de Angola (Diamang), Serviços Culturais, Museu do Dundo (Angola), 67: 61-65.  

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• Conradie, W. & Keates, C. & Greenbaum, E. & Lobón-Rovira, J. & Tolley, K.A. & Benito, M. & Vaz Pinto, P. & Breda, R.V. van & Verbrugt, L. (2025) -  Systematics of African rough-scaled lizards, with description of two new species from eastern Angola (Squamata: Lacertidae: Ichnotropis PETERS, 1854). -  Vertebrate Zoology, 75: 627–672.    

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  Ichnotropis is a genus of medium-sized lacertids endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, characterised by rough head shields. The genus currently comprises six nominal species distributed across much of southern, central, and eastern Africa. Some species are apparently active at only certain times of the year, resulting in limited specimen collections and severely hampering research. This scarcity of material has historically made comprehensive systematic reviews of the genus difficult and has led to the description of numerous regional morphological variants as distinct species or subspecies. Material collected in recent years has enabled us to provide a new phylogenetic hypothesis of Ichnotropis using two mitochondrial genes (16S and ND4) and two nuclear genes (c-mos and RAG-1). Our phylogenetic dataset includes 56 individuals representing five of the six currently recognised species (excluding I. chapini). Additionally, the broad geographical sampling of the widespread I. capensis group has allowed us to explore the taxonomic status of several species and subspecies within the group. As a result, we demonstrate the monophyly of Ichnotropis in relation to other African lacertids and present the most comprehensive phylogeny of the genus to date. We also provide the first phylogenetic placements for I. tanganicana and I. grandiceps, which allows us to validate their taxonomic statuses. Furthermore, we recovered a new cryptic species closely related to I. grandiceps, and identified several well-supported clades within the I. capensis group, all corroborated by multi-locus species delimitation analyses. One of these clades is described herein as a new species, while the remaining taxa of interest are discussed and highlighted for future investigation. Based on our findings, we recommend the following taxonomic revisions: Ichnotropis longipes and I. macrolepidota should remain synonyms of I. capensis; I. bivittata pallida and I. capensis nigrescens are treated as a junior synonyms of I. bivittata; and I. overlaeti is considered a junior synonym of I. tanganicana. Although we could not determine the phylogenetic placement of I. chapini due to the lack of genetic material, its head morphology and scalation support its reassignment to the I. bivittata group. Thus, it is retained as a valid species pending the availability of new material for further taxonomic actions. In conclusion, this study resolves several long-standing taxonomic issues within one of Africa’s most understudied lacertid genera and lays a solid foundation for future research on the genus Ichnotropis.