Sekukhune flat lizard (pempenyane in Pedi language)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Cordylidae
Genus: Platysaurus
Species:
P. orientalis
Binomial name
Platysaurus orientalis
Synonyms[3]
  • Platysaurus minor orientalis
    V. FitzSimons, 1941
  • Platysaurus guttatus orientalis — Loveridge, 1944
  • Platysaurus orientalis
    — Jacobsen & Newbery, 1989

The Sekukhune flat lizard (Platysaurus orientalis) is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. It has two subspecies.[3]

Description

Females and juveniles of P. orientalis have a black back with white stripes, as well as a white belly. Adult males have a green body, and a tail which is orange or red above, and yellow underneath. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 7.0–7.5 cm (2.8–3.0 in); the longest recorded SVL is 9.0 cm (3.5 in).[4]

Geographic range and habitat

The Sekukhune flat lizard lives in a small area of savannah in South Africa in the Sekhukhuneland natural region. This includes the Mpumalanga Escarpment.[4]

Reproduction

Female Sekukhune flat lizards lay two eggs in a rock crack in early summer.[4]

Diet

The diet of the Sekukhune flat lizard includes insects, including caterpillars.[4]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized.[3]

The subspecific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South African herpetologist (Mr.) Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bates, M.F.; Whiting, M.J. (2018). "Platysaurus orientalis ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T110165772A115677936. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T110165772A115677936.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Platysaurus orientalis ". Zipcode Zoo. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  3. 1 2 3 Species Platysaurus orientalis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Platysaurus orientalis, pp. 199-200 + Plate 74).
  5. ↑ 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. (Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, p. 91).

Further reading

  • FitzSimons V (1941). "Descriptions of some New Lizards from South Africa and a Frog from Southern Rhodesia". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 20 (3): 273-281. (Platysaurus minor orientalis, new subspecies, p. 280).
  • Jacobsen NHG, Newbery RE (1989). "The Genus Platysaurus A. Smith 1844 in the Transvaal". African Journal of Herpetology 36: 51-63. (Platysaurus orientalis, new combination; Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, new combination).
  • Loveridge A (1944). "Revision of the African Lizards of the Family Cordylidae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 95 (1): 1-118 + Plates 1-12. (Platysaurus guttatus fitzsimonsi, new subspecies, pp. 88–89).
  • Stanley EL, Bauer AM, Jackman TR, Branch WR, Mouton PLFN (2011). "Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 58 (1): 53–70.


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