Sekukhune flat lizard

The Sekukhune flat lizard (Platysaurus orientalis) is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. It has two subspecies.[3]

Sekukhune flat lizard(Pempenyane in Pedi language)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Cordylidae
Genus: Platysaurus
Species:
P. orientalis
Binomial name
Platysaurus orientalis
Synonyms
  • Platysaurus minor orientalis
    V. FitzSimons, 1941
  • Platysaurus guttatus orientalis — Loveridge, 1944
  • Platysaurus orientalis
    — Jacobsen & Newbery, 1989[3]

Description

Females and juveniles have a black back with white stripes, as well as a white belly. Adult male Sekukhune flat lizards have a green body, and a tail which is orange or red above, and yellow underneath.[4]

Geographic range and habitat

The Sekukhune flat lizard lives in a small area of savannah in South Africa in the Sekhukhuneland natural region. This includes the Mpumalanga Escarpment.[4]

Reproduction

Female Sekukhune flat lizards lay two eggs in a rock crack in early summer.[4]

Diet

The diet of the Sekukhune flat lizard includes insects, including caterpillars.[4]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized.[3]

The subspecific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South African herpetologist (Mr.) Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[5]

See also

References
  1. Bates, M.F.; Whiting, M.J. (2018). "Platysaurus orientalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T110165772A115677936. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T110165772A115677936.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. "Platysaurus orientalis ". Zipcode Zoo. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  3. "Platysaurus orientalis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  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. (Platysaurus orientalis, pp. 199-200 + Plate 74).
  5. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, p. 91).

Further reading
  • FitzSimons V. 1941. Descriptions of some New Lizards from South Africa and a Frog from Southern Rhodesia. Ann. Transvaal Mus. 20 (3): 273-281. (Platysaurus minor orientalis, new subspecies, p. 280).
  • Jacobsen NHG, Newbery RE. 1989. The Genus Platysaurus A. Smith 1844 in the Transvaal. African J. Herp. 36: 51-63. (Platysaurus orientalis, new combination; Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, new combination).
  • Loveridge A. 1944. Revision of the African Lizards of the Family Cordylidae. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 95 (1): 1-118 + Plates 1-12. (Platysaurus guttatus fitzsimonsi, new subspecies, pp. 88–89).
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