| Cordylidae | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Tropical girdled lizard, Cordylus tropidosternum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Superfamily: | Cordyloidea |
| Family: | Cordylidae Fitzinger, 1826 |
| Diversity | |
| 10 genera (see text) | |
Cordylidae is a family of small to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards.[1][2]
Cordylidae is closely related to the family Gerrhosauridae, occurring in Africa and Madagascar. These two scientific families of lizards, known as Cordyliformes or Cordyloidea, are sometimes combined into a larger concept of Cordylidae. Recent molecular analyses confirm the clade made up of Cordylidae and Gerrhosauridae (Cordyloidea) and place it in a larger clade including Xantusiidae (Cordylomorpha Vidal & Hedges, 2009).[3]
Description and behavior
Girdled lizards are diurnal and insectivorous. They are terrestrial, mostly inhabiting crevices in rocky terrain, although at least one species digs burrows and another lives under exfoliating bark on trees. They have flattened heads and bodies, and are distinguished by a heavy armour of osteoderms and large, rectangular, scales, arranged in regular rows around the body and tail. Many species have rings of spines on the tail, that aid in wedging the animal into sheltering crevices, and also in dissuading predators.[4]
Most species have four limbs, but those in the genus Chamaesaura are almost entirely limbless, with only tiny spikes in place of the hind limbs. The family includes both egg-laying and ovoviviparous species.[4]
Genera
Family: Cordylidae
- Genus Chamaesaura – Grass lizards (3 sp.)
- Genus Cordylus – Girdle-tailed lizards
- Genus Hemicordylus – False girdled lizards
- Genus Karusasaurus – Karusa lizards (2 sp.)
- Genus Namazonurus – Nama lizards (5 sp.)
- Genus Ninurta – Blue-spotted girdled lizard
- Genus Ouroborus – Armadillo girdled lizard
- Genus Platysaurus – Flat lizards (15 sp.)
- Genus Pseudocordylus – Crag lizards (6 sp.)
- Genus Smaug – Girdled lizards (9 sp.)
References
- ^ "Cordylidae." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
- ^ "Cordylidae." Bill Branch. 1998. Field Guide to Snakes and other reptiles of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
- ^ Nicolas Vidal; S. Blair Hedges The molecular evolutionary tree of lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians
- ^ a b Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.