Cordylidae
| Cordylidae | |
|---|---|
| |
Tropical girdled lizard , Cordylus tropidosternum | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Cordyliformes
|
| Family: | Cordylidae Fitzinger, 1826 |
| Diversity | |
| 10 genera (see text) | |
Cordylidae is a family of small- to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards.[1][2]
Cordylidae is closely related to the family
Xantusiidae (Cordylomorpha Vidal & Hedges, 2009).[3]
Description and behavior
Girdled lizards are diurnal and
insectivorous. They are terrestrial, mostly inhabiting crevices in rocky terrain, although at least one species digs burrows and another lives under exfoliating bark on trees. They have flattened heads and bodies, and are distinguished by a heavy armour of osteoderms and large, rectangular, scales, arranged in regular rows around the body and tail. Many species have rings of spines on the tail, that aid in wedging the animal into sheltering crevices, and also in dissuading predators.[4]
Most species have four limbs, but those in the genus ovoviviparous species.[4]
Genera
| List of genera | |||||
| Genus | Image | Type species | Taxon author | Common name | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamaesaura | C. anguina
|
C. anguina (Linnaeus , 1758)
|
Schneider, 1801 | Grass lizards | 5 |
| Cordylus | _(32796586262).jpg) C. niger |
C. cordylus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Laurenti, 1768 | Girdled lizards | 21 |
| Hemicordylus |  H. capensis |
H. capensis (Smith, 1838) | Smith, 1838 | Cliff lizards | 2 |
| Karusasaurus |  K. polyzonus |
K. polyzonus (Smith, 1838) | Stanley, Bauer, Jackman, Branch & Mouton, 2011 | Karusa lizards | 2 |
| Namazonurus |  N. peersi |
N. pustulatus (W. Peters, 1862) | Stanley, Bauer, Jackman, Branch & Mouton, 2011 | Namaqua girdled lizards | 5 |
| Ninurta |  N. coeruleopunctatus |
Methuen & Hewitt , 1913)
|
Stanley, Bauer, Jackman, Branch & Mouton, 2011 | Blue-spotted girdled lizard | 1 |
Ouroborus
|
O. cataphractus
|
O. cataphractus (F. Boie , 1828)
|
Stanley, Bauer, Jackman, Branch & Mouton, 2011 | Armadillo girdled lizard | 1 |
| Platysaurus | P. relictus
|
P. capensis Smith, 1844
|
Smith, 1844 | Flat lizards | 16 |
| Pseudocordylus |  P. subviridis |
P. microlepidotus (Cuvier, 1829) | Smith, 1838 | Crag lizards | 6 |
| Smaug | S. giganteus
|
S. giganteus (Smith, 1844)
|
Stanley, Bauer, Jackman, Branch & Mouton, 2011 | Girdled lizards | 9 |
References
- ^ "Cordylidae." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
- ^ "Cordylidae." Bill Branch. 1998. Field Guide to Snakes and other reptiles of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
- ^ Nicolas Vidal; S. Blair Hedges The molecular evolutionary tree of lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians
- ^ ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
External links
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
