Among the African Scincidae, the genus Thrachylepis is one of the most diverse and most phylogenetically complicated. Lack of material and discrepancies in the results of genetic analyses have led to the incorporation of several well differentiated lineages in the widespread T. varia complex.

In order to shed light on the phylogenetic relationships within this group, with a particular focus the  on Cameroon Volcanic Line endemic montane skink (T. mekuana), an indepth genetic re-analysis was carried out. Researchers gathered and aligned genetic sequences from various studies to examine relationships between species. They used specialized software to combine and analyze the data, checking accuracy with repeated tests. They then calculated genetic differences and identified well-supported connections, focusing especially on two key gene regions.

The paper, that will appear on the next issue of Acta Herpetologica, revealed similar relationships among species in the T. varia group as in past studies, with T. mekuana newly identified as closely related to T. raymondlaurenti. Although this connection was not strongly supported, these species formed a well-supported group with T. megalura. Genetic differences between them were lower than those seen across other species in the group.

The paper concludes that T. mekuana, T. raymondlaurenti, and T. megalura are closely related but show slight morphological differences, primarily in coloration and head scalation. Despite low genetic divergence, these differences and their mostly separate habitats justify recognizing them as distinct species. More sampling, particularly in Ethiopia, may reveal further diversity in this group and possibly additional cryptic species. The study also notes similar biogeographic patterns in other reptile species across East Africa and Cameroon, likely due to habitat and sampling limitations.

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