| Soutpansberg flat lizard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In the Soutpansberg, Limpopo, South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Cordylidae |
| Genus: | Platysaurus |
| Species: | P. relictus |
| Binomial name | |
| Platysaurus relictus Broadley, 1976 | |
The Soutpansberg flat lizard (Platysaurus relictus) is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.
The females and juveniles of this Platysaurus are brown on their backs and yellow on their tails. Adult males, however, are green-yellow on their bodies and blue on their neck and belly. There is a collar.
This lizard is endemic to South Africa, including Waterberg and Soutpansberg. Its habitat is savannah.
This is a quick and alert lizard, living on sandstone outcrops.
The Soutpansberg flat lizard is a near-threatened species.
The genus Cordylus includes a wide variety of species of small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and ovoviviparous. Most species are rupicolous (rock-dwelling), while a few species are arboreal or live in burrows. They defend themselves with osteoderms and by quickly retreating into rock crevices or burrows. Many species live in groups, and males defend territories.
Platysaurus is a genus of lizards, commonly known as flat lizards for their flat backs, in the family Cordylidae.
The Soutpansberg, meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans, is a range of mountains in far northern South Africa. It is located in Vhembe District, Limpopo. It is named for the salt pan located at its western end. The mountain range reaches the opposite extremity in the Matikwa Nature Reserve, some 107 kilometres (66 mi) due east. The range as a whole had no Venda name, as it was instead known by its sub-ranges which include Dzanani, Songozwi and others. Of late it is however known as Tha vhani ya muno, meaning "mountain of salt".
The Waterberg flat lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is endemic to South Africa.
Platysaurus broadleyi, also known commonly as the Augrabies flat lizard and Broadley's flat lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa.
The Cape flat lizard or Namaqua flat lizard is a lizard in the Cordylidae family found in Namibia and South Africa.
The dwarf flat lizard or lesser flat lizard is a lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is found in Southern Africa.
The emperor flat lizard or imperial flat lizard is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.
The common flat lizard is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family. This lizard has 9 subspecies, all living in southern Africa.
The Lebombo flat lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae.
The spotted flat lizard is a lizard in the Cordylidae family, which is native to Mozambique.
Mitchell's flat lizard is a species of lizards in the family Cordylidae.
The orange-throated flat lizard is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.
The ocellated flat lizard or Chimanimani flat lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is endemic to the Chimanimani Mountains of south eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique.
The Sekukhune flat lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. It has two subspecies.
The Pungwe flat lizard is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.
Platysaurus torquatus, the striped flat lizard or collared flat lizard, is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family found in southeast Africa.
Cordylus meculae, the Mecula girdled lizard, is a third species from the Rhodesian girdled lizard complex, and was described from Mount Mecula in northern Mozambique. It lives in granite outcrops of montane grasslands and dry miombo woodland. The nostril pierces the center of the nasal scale and the head shields are rugose. The dorsal coloration is dark brown with paler infusions on the flanks. The head is almost black with yellow lips and scattered yellow flecks on the head and neck. The belly is buff colored.
Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia.
Platysaurus attenboroughi is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in Namibia.
