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4- Pseudocordylus :

 

Pseudocordylus is a genus of small to large girdled lizards from South Africa, commonly known as crag lizards. Six species of Pseudocordylusare known;

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Pseudocordylus is a genus of small to large girdled lizards from South Africa, commonly known as crag lizards. Six species of Pseudocordylusare known; they are distinguished from girdled lizards of the genus Cordylus by the presence of granular scales on the back instead of osteoderms. However, recent molecular data places Pseudocordylus within Cordylus.[1]

Pseudocordylus

Scientific classification :

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Reptilia

Order:Squamata

Family:Cordylidae

Genus:Pseudocordylus
A. Smith, 1838[1]

Species :

 

The following six species are recognized as being valid.[2]:

 

  • Pseudocordylus langi Loveridge, 1944 – Lang's girdled lizard, near threatened (LR/nt)

  • Pseudocordylus melanotus (A. Smith, 1838)

  • Pseudocordylus microlepidotus (Cuvier, 1829)

  • Pseudocordylus spinosus V. FitzSimons, 1947 – prickly girdled lizard, near threatened (LR/nt)

  • Pseudocordylus subviridis (A. Smith, 1838)

  • Pseudocordylus transvaalensis V. FitzSimons, 1943

Video :

Pseudocordylus melanotus subviridus

courtesy to : research.amnh.org/users/estanley/Ed_Stanley/Pseudocordylus.html

 

The genus Pseudocordylus contains at least six species of robustly built, lightly armored lizards that occur from the northern Drakensberg to the Cape Fold Mountains. Three of the species overlap in the northeast edge of Lesotho, although it appears that the various ranges are divided attitudinally, with P.spinosus occurring at lower altitudes, P.subviridis in the middle areas and P.langi restricted to the highest peaks (above 3000m). Like the flat lizards, Pseudocordylus display extreme sexual dichromatism, with males being more brightly colored than females, although ritualized courtship and aggregation behavior of Platysaurushas not been recorded. The reduced dermal armor, sexual dichromatism and specialization for crevice dwelling lead to the proposal that crag lizards and flat lizards are closely related. However, molecular analysis shows that these characters are simply broadly convergent. 

 

Preliminary studies suggest that there may be a good degree of gene flow across Pseudocordylus populations in the Cape Fold and Drakensburg mountains, and much more work is needed to untangle the complex but fascinating relationships of this group

Common names: Crag Lizards, False Cordyles

Number of species: six (three subspecies)

Habitat: Rupicolous 

Range: The Drakensburg and Cape Fold Mountains

Reproduction: viviparous (1- 6 offspring)

Diet: Insectivorous 

Content: 

P.  microlepidotus microlepidotus (Cuvier, 1829)

P. microlepidotus faciatus (Smith, 1838)

P. microlepidotus namaquensis (Hewitt, 1927)

P. melanotus (Smith, 1838)

P. subviridis (Smith, 1838)

P. langi Loveridge, 1944

P. spinosus FitzSimons, 1947

P. transvaalensis FitzSimons, 1943

        FAMILY CORDYLIDAE

 

             1- Genus Cordylus  - girdled or Armadillo lizard

             2- Genus Chamaesaura - Grass lizards

             3- Genus Platysaurus - Flat lizards

             4- Genus Pseudocordylus   

 

 Pseudocordylus : Introduction  and general articles

Pseudocordylus  species : 

 

1- Pseudocordylus melanotus or Common Crag Lizard:

2- Other species 

 

 

 Pseudocordylus : Introduction  and general articles

Pseudocordylus  species : 

 

1- Pseudocordylus melanotus or Common Crag Lizard:

2- Other species 

 

 

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