Cordylus nyikae

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An isolated population of the Rhodesian Girdled Lizard (Cordylus rhodesianus) from granite outcrops in montane grassland of northern Malawi was recently redescribed as Cordylus nyikae. Unlike the Rhodesian Girdled Lizard, the head shields are very rugose, the nostril is pierced in the lower posterior corner of the nasal scale, and the dorsals do not have a serrated posterior margin. The dorsal coloration is dark brown to gray-brown with lighter spots. The tail and upper lips are light brown. The belly is buff.

“Zimbabwe Girdled Lizards” are exported from Mozambique for the pet trade. Although they are often sold as C. rhodesianus, many individuals may actually be Cordylus nyikae. "Zimbabwe Girdled Lizards" remain skittish in captivity and require numerous hiding places constructed with stacked rocks.

[edit] References

Branch, B., 1998. Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing, Sanibel Island, Florida, 399 p.

Broadley, D. G., and Branch, W. R., 2002. A review of the small east African Cordylus (Sauria: Cordylidae), with the description of a new species: African Journal of Herpetology, 51(1): 9-34.

Broadley, D. G., and Mouton, P. F. N., 2000. A new species of rupicolous Cordylus Laurenti from Malawi (Sauria: Cordylidae): African Journal of Herpetology, 49(2): 169-172.

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Extanct cordylidae species
Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Reptilia · Order: Squamata
Chamaesaura
Cordylus
African Spiny-tailed Lizard (C. polyzonus) · Angolan Girdled Lizard (C. angolensis) · Armadillo Girdled Lizard (C. cataphractus) · Barberton Girdled Lizard (C. barbertonensis) · Black Girdled Lizard (C. niger) · Blue-spotted Girdled Lizard (C. coeruleopunctatus) · Campbell's Girdled Lizard (C. campbelli) · Cape Girdled Lizard (C. cordylus) · Cloete's Girdled Lizard (C. cloetei) · Coastal Spiny-tailed Lizard (C. macropholis) · C. meculae · C. nyikae · C. rivae · Drakensberg Crag Lizard (C. subviridis) · Dwarf Crag Lizard (C. nebulosus) · Dwarf Girdled Lizard (C. minor) · Dwarf Karoo Girdled Lizard (C. aridus) · East African Spiny-tailed Lizard (C. tropidosternum) · Eastern Cape Crag Lizard (C. fasciatus) · False Girdled Lizard (C. capensis) · Giant Girdled Lizard (C. giganteus) · Herero Girdled Lizard (C. pustulatus) · Hewitt's Spiny-tailed Lizard (C. peersi) · Highveld Crag Lizard (C. melanotus) · Jordan's Girdled Lizard (C. jordani) · Lang's Crag Lizard (C. langi) · Lawrence's Girdled Lizard (C. lawrenci) · Limpopo Girdled Lizard (C. jonesii) · Maasai Girdled Lizard (C. beraduccii) · Machado's Girdled Lizard (C. machadoi) · Mclachlan's Girdled Lizard (C. mclachlani) · Mozambique Girdled Lizard (C. mossambicus) · Namaqua Girdled Lizard (C. namaquensis) · Northern Crag Lizard (C. transvaalensis) · Oelofsen's Girdled Lizard (C. oelofseni) · Prickly Girdled Lizard (C. spinosus) · Rhodesian Girdled Lizard (C. rhodesianus) · Rooiberg Girdled Lizard (C. imkeae) · Tasman's Girdled Lizard (C. tasmani) · Transvaal Girdled Lizard (C. vittifer) · Ukinga Girdled Lizard (C. ukingensis) · Van Dam's Girdled Lizard (C. vandami) · Warren's Girdled Lizard (C. warreni) · Waterberg Girdled Lizard (C. breyeri) · Western Cape Crag Lizard (C. microlepidotus) · Zoutpansberg Girdled Lizard (C. depressus)
Platysaurus
Pseudocordylus
Lang's Crag Lizard (P. langi) · Prickly Girdled Lizard (P. spinosus) · P. capensis · P. melanotus · P. microlepidotus · P. nebulosus