Biology:Sekukhune flat lizard
| Sekukhune flat lizard (pempenyane in Pedi language) | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Cordylidae |
| Genus: | Platysaurus |
| Species: | P. orientalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Platysaurus orientalis V. FitzSimons, 1941[1]
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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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.[2]
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).[3]
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.[3]
Reproduction
Female Sekukhune flat lizards lay two eggs in a rock crack in early summer.[3]
Diet
The diet of the Sekukhune flat lizard includes insects, including caterpillars.[3]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized.[2]
- P. o. orientalis V. FitzSimons, 1941 – Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga in South Africa .
- P. o. fitzsimonsi Loveridge, 1944 – eastern Sekhukhuneland.
The subspecific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South Africa n herpetologist (Mr.) Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Platysaurus orientalis ". Zipcode Zoo. http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/P/Platysaurus_orientalis.asp.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Species Platysaurus orientalis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 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).
- ↑ 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.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q3006651 entry
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