Pedioplanis rubens

Pedioplanis rubens
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Pedioplanis
Species:	P. rubens
Binomial name
	Pedioplanis rubens; (Mertens, 1954)
Synonyms
	Eremias undata rubens; Mertens, 1954; Mesalina undata rubens; — Szczerbak, 1989; Pedioplanis undata rubens; — Mayer, 1989; Pedioplanis rubens; — Makokha et al., 2007;

Last updated October 04, 2025

Pedioplanis rubens, called commonly the Waterberg sand lizard,^[3]reddish sand lizard, and (misleadingly^[4]) Ruben's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.^[1]^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, rubens, which means "tinged with red" in Latin, is not in honor of any person named Ruben,^[4] but rather refers to the brick red color of the tail.^[2]

Geographic range

P. rubens is found atop the northern portion of the Waterberg Plateau in Namibia.^[3]

Habitat

The natural habitat of P. rubens is mopane savanna with red sandstone.^[3]

Description

P. rubens may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 5 cm (2.0 in). The tail is long, slightly more than twice SVL. Dorsally, the head and body are brown, and the tail is bright brick red. Ventrally, it is lighter-colored.^[3]

Reproduction

P. rubens is oviparous.^[2]

References

1 2 Bauer, A.M.; Becker, F. (2020). "Pedioplanis rubens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T197002A110221939. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T197002A110221939.en . Retrieved 24 February 2023.
1 2 3 4 Pedioplanis rubens at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 16 May 2019.
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. (Pedioplanus rubens, p. 173 + Plate 58).
1 2 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 (Pedioplanis rubens, p. 228).

Makokha JS, Bauer AM, Mayer W, Matthee CA (2007). "Nuclear and mtDNA-based phylogeny of southern African sand lizards, Pedioplanis (Sauria: Lacertidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution44 (2): 622–633. (Pedioplanis rubens, new status).
Mayer W (1989). "Comments on SZCZERBAK's (1975) catalogue of the African Sand Lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Eremiainae)". Herpetozoa1 (3/4): 133–137. (Pedioplanis undata rubens, new combination, p. 135).
Mertens R (1954). "Neue Eidechsen aus Südwest-Afrika". Senckenbergiana34: 175–183. (Eremias undata rubens, new subspecies, p. 177). (in German).
Szczerbak, "Nikolai N. [sic]" (1989). "Catalogue of the African Sand Lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Eremiainae: Lampreremias, Pseuderemias, Taenieremias, Mesalina, Meroles)". Herpetozoa1 (3/4): 119–132. (Mesalina undata rubens, new combination, p. 125). (This paper was originally published in 1975 in Russian as "[Katalog afrikanskih Jascurok]". by the [Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Museum of Zoology, Kiev, USSR]).

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[IUCN-1] 1 2 Bauer, A.M.; Becker, F. (2020). "Pedioplanis rubens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T197002A110221939. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T197002A110221939.en . Retrieved 24 February 2023.

[RDB-2] 1 2 3 4 Pedioplanis rubens at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 16 May 2019.

[Bill-3] 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. (Pedioplanus rubens, p. 173 + Plate 58).

[Beolens_et_al._2011-4] 1 2 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 (Pedioplanis rubens, p. 228).

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