| East African armadillo lizard | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Cordylidae |
| Genus: | Cordylus |
| Species: | C. tropidosternum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cordylus tropidosternum (Cope, 1869) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The East African armadillo lizard, dwarf sungazer, or tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum) is a species of arboreal or rupicolous (rock-dwelling) lizard endemic to East Africa.
The preferred habitat of the East African armadillo lizard is dry forests.
C. tropidosternum ranges from the southern Kenya through Tanzania and Malawi to southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, northeast Zimbabwe and Mozambique. [1]
Dwarf sungazers are diurnal. They lay down fat reserves in preparation for the dry season.
Tropical girdled lizards are brown above with dark brown and cream spots or thin dark bands. A conspicuous black stripe runs along each side of the neck from the ear to the shoulder. The lips, throat, and belly are cream. The tail is very spiny. Adults are 160–190 mm (6.3–7.5 in) in total length (including tail). Males have slightly wider heads than females (The length of a male's head is about 1.25 times the width, whereas the length of a female's head is about 1.33 times the width.) and are aggressive toward other males of the same species. Both sexes have femoral pores.
Tropical girdled lizards are almost identical to the Limpopo girdled lizard ( Cordylus jonesii ) and the Ukinga girdled lizard ( Cordylus ukingensis ). Limpopo girdled lizards have smooth scales on the throat and belly (C. tropidosternum has keeled scales) and its nostril is in the center of the nasal scale (the nostril of C. tropidosternum is positioned in the lower posterior corner of the nasal scale). The Ukinga girdled lizard has distinctive white lips, a small ridge over each eye (supraocular ridge), and the loreal scale is fused with the preocular scale (they are separate in C. tropidosternum and C. jonesii ).
The tropical girdled lizard is exported from Tanzania and Mozambique for the pet trade where it is commonly referred to as the “armadillo lizard” or “forest armadillo lizard or “Jones's armadillo lizard”. Tropical girdled lizards are not flattened like the true armadillo Lizard ( Ouroboros cataphractus ) and do not grasp their tail and roll into a ball for defense. With gentle handling and plenty of hiding places, tropical girdled lizards become excellent, long-lived pets and can be trained to accept food from their owner’s hand.[ citation needed ]
As pets they are insectivores and can eat crickets, meal worms, phoenix worms, and occasionally wax worms.
They give birth to 1–6 live young.
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.
The armadillo girdled lizard, also commonly known as the armadillo lizard, the armadillo spiny-tailed lizard, and the golden-armadillo lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to desert areas along the western coast of South Africa. In 2011, it was moved to its own genus based on molecular phylogeny, but formerly it was included in the genus Cordylus.
The sungazer, also known as the giant girdled lizard, giant dragon lizard, ouvolk, or giant zonure, is the largest species of the Cordylidae, a family of lizards from sub-Saharan Africa. This threatened species is endemic to Highveld grasslands in the interior of South Africa. In 2011, it was assigned to the new genus Smaug, along with seven other species previously belonging to the genus Cordylus, based on a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Cordylidae.
Grant's bushbaby, also known as Grant's lesser bushbaby or the Mozambique lesser bushbaby, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The common flat lizard is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family. This lizard has 9 subspecies, all living in southern Africa.
The Limpopo girdled lizard, also known commonly as Jones's armadillo lizard and Jones's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to Southern Africa.
The Mozambique girdled lizard or flame-bellied armadillo lizard is a large, flattened, girdled lizard found on Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique and low elevations in the Chimanimani Mountains at the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It lives in rock outcrops in grasslands and dry, wooded mountain slopes.
The Ukinga girdled lizard is a poorly known species of girdled lizard from central Tanzania. They are rupicolous (rock-dwelling) and feed on small arthropods.
The Transvaal girdled lizard or Reichenow's spiny-tailed lizard is a very flattened girdled lizard from northeastern South Africa, Eswatini, and southeastern Botswana. It prefers rock outcrops in open grassland and feeds on small arthropods, especially beetles.
An isolated population of the Rhodesian girdled lizard from granite outcrops in montane grassland of northern Malawi was recently redescribed as Cordylus nyikae. Unlike the Rhodesian girdled lizard, the head shields of this species are very rugose, the nostrils are pierced in the lower posterior corner of the nasal scales, and the dorsals do not have a serrated posterior margin. The dorsal coloration is dark brown to gray-brown with lighter spots. The tail and upper lips are light brown. The belly is buff. Its common name is Nyika girdled lizard.
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.
The Rhodesian girdled lizard is one of three species of very flattened girdled lizards from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. The other two species are Cordylus nyikae and Cordylus meculae. They are found living under stones in rock outcrops where they feed on small arthropods. Adults are 60–90 mm long from snout to vent. The tail length is approximately half the total length.
Warren's girdled lizard is a species of relatively large, flattened lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.
Namazonurus campbelli, commonly known as Campbell's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. A small girdled lizard, N. campbelli is endemic to Namibia. It is often mistaken for the more common Herero girdled lizard, N. pustulatus, as they both are similar in size and have flattened bodies. N. campbelli lives in rock crevices and cracks on dry mountain slopes
Smaug is a genus of lizards in the family Cordylidae. The genus Smaug is a group of species of spiny southern African lizards, separated from the genus Cordylus in 2011 on the basis of a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Cordylidae. The type species is the giant girdled lizard, S. giganteus.
Cordylus beraduccii, also known commonly as the Maasai girdled lizard, is a species of girdled lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is native to East Africa.
