Smaug breyeri

Smaug breyeri
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scinciformata
Infraorder:	Scincomorpha
Family:	Cordylidae
Genus:	Smaug
Species:	S. breyeri
Binomial name
Smaug breyeri (Van Dam, 1921)
Synonyms [2]
Zonurus breyeri Van Dam, 1921 Cordylus warreni breyeri — V. FitzSimons, 1943 Cordylus breyeri — Branch, 1998 Smaug breyeri — E. Stanley et al., 2011

Smaug breyeri, also known commonly as the Waterberg dragon lizard or the Waterberg girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, breyeri, is in honor of Dutch naturalist Hermann Gottfried Breyer. ^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of S. breyeri is rocky areas of savanna, at altitudes of 700–1,700 m (2,300–5,600 ft). ^[1]

Description

Adults of S. breyeri usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in), but may grow as large as 14.5 cm (5.7 in) SVL. ^[4]

Reproduction

S. breyeri is viviparous. ^[2] Two to four young are born in summer. Compared to adults, the neonates are quite large, each measuring about 11 cm (4.3 in) in total length (including tail). ^[4]

References

1. Bates, M.F.; Mouton, P.L.F.N. (2018). "Smaug breyeri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T110167723A115679902. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T110167723A115679902.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Smaug breyeri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 20 October 2020.
3. 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. (Cordylus warreni breyeri, p. 38).
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. (Cordylus breyeri, p. 197 + Plate 105).

Further reading

• FitzSimons VF (1943). The Lizards of South Africa. Transvaal Museum Memoir No. 1. Pretoria: Transvaal Museum. xvi + 528 pp. (Cordylus warreni breyeri, new combination).
• 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 Evolution58 (1): 53–70. (Smaug breyeri, new combination).
• Van Dam GPF (1921). "Descriptions of new species of Zonurus, and notes on the species of Zonurus occurring in the Transvaal". Annals of the Transvaal Museum7 (4): 239–243. (Zonurus breyeri, new species).