Limpopo girdled lizard
| Limpopo girdled lizard | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Cordylidae |
| Genus: | Cordylus |
| Species: | C. jonesii
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| Binomial name | |
| Cordylus jonesii (Boulenger, 1891)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
The Limpopo girdled lizard (Cordylus jonesii), also known commonly as Jones's armadillo lizard and Jones's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is indigenous to Southern Africa.
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, jonesii, is in honor of a "Mr. C. R. Jones" who collected the holotype.[3] The common name, Limpopo girdled lizard, refers to the type locality, which is the Murchison Range in Limpopo.[2]
Geographic range
[edit]C. jonesii is found on both sides of South Africa's border with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.[1]
Habitat and behavior
[edit]The Limpopo girdled lizard is arboreal and inhabits dry forests, especially mopane woodland, where it hides under loose bark and in hollow tree limbs.[1]
Diet
[edit]C. jonesii preys upon winged termites, ants, and moths.[4]
Reproduction
[edit]C. jonesii is ovoviviparous.[2] Litter size is usually two young, but may be as many as four.[4]
Description
[edit]The dorsal pattern of C. jonesii varies from red to brown to gray, with dark spots or lines. On some individuals, the lines fuse into a black-bordered white stripe along the midline of the back. The Limpopo girdled lizard has a distinct dark dorsolateral stripe running from the head to the hips. The belly, throat, and lips are cream to yellow. The tail is very spiny and about 45% the total length of the animal. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.0–7.5 cm (2.4–3.0 in).[4]
Taxonomy
[edit]The Limpopo girdled lizard is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum).[4] When both species are held together, the Limpopo girdled lizard has a noticeably shorter snout.[citation needed] In C. jonesii the nostril pierces the center of the nasal scale (the lower posterior corner of the nasal in C. tropidosternum).[citation needed] All of the ventral scales on the throat and belly of C. jonesii are smooth instead of keeled.[4] C. jonesii is exported from Mozambique for the pet trade, where it is often mislabeled as Cordylus vittifer.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Alexander, G.J.; Tolley, K.A. (2021). "Cordylus jonesii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T110159440A139708864. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Uetz, Peter; Hallermann, Jakob. "Cordylus jonesii (BOULENGER, 1891)". The Reptiles Database. Zoological Museum Hamburg. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cordylus jonesii, p. 136).
- ^ a b c d e Branch (2004).
Further reading
[edit]- Boulenger GA (1891). "Description of a new Lizard of the Genus Zonurus from the Transvaal". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 7: 417. (Zonurus jonesii, new species).
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Cordylus tropidosternum jonesi, p. 195 + Plate 66).
- Broadley DG, Branch WR (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.
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