Rhodesian girdled lizard

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The Rhodesian girdled lizard (Cordylus rhodesianus) is one of three species of very flattened girdled lizards from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. The other two species are Cordylus nyikae and Cordylus meculae. They are found living under stones in rock outcrops where they feed on small arthropods. Adults are 60-90 mm long from snout to vent. The tail length is approximately half the total length.

Also known as the Zimbabwe girdled lizard, they live in rocky montane grasslands of eastern Zimbabwe. The head shields are smooth or slightly rugose. The nostril is pierced in the center of the nasal scale and the dorsal scales have a serrated posterior margin. The back is olive-brown with irregularly spaced dark and light blotches. The belly is yellow to gray. Both sexes have femoral pores. Females typically grow larger than males and have smaller anal spurs.

Zimbabwe girdled lizards are exported from Mozambique for the pet trade. Although they are 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.

Branch, W. R., Rodel, M.-O., and Marais, J., 2005. A new species of rupicolous Cordylus Laurenti 1768 (Sauria: Cordylidae) from Northern Mozambique: African Journal of Herpetology, 54(2): 131-138.

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
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