Limpopo girdled lizard

The Limpopo girdled lizard (Cordylus jonesii), 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 indigenous to Southern Africa.

Limpopo girdled lizard
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Cordylidae
Genus:	Cordylus
Species:	C. jonesii
Binomial name
Cordylus jonesii (Boulenger, 1891)
Synonyms[2]
Zonurus jonesii Boulenger, 1891 Zonurus cordylus jonesii — Power, 1930 Cordylus jonesii V. FitzSimons, 1943 Cordylus cordylus jonesii — Loveridge, 1944 Cordylus tropidosternum jonesii — Auerbach, 1987 Cordylus jonesii — Broadley & Branch, 2002

Etymology

The specific name, jonesii, is in honor of a "Mr. C. R. Jones" who collected the holotype.^[3] The common name, Limpopo girdled lizard, refers to the type locality, which is the Murchison Range in Limpopo.^[2]

Geographic range

C. jonesii is found on both sides of South Africa's border with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.^[1]

Habitat and behavior

The Limpopo girdled lizard is arboreal and inhabits dry forests, especially mopane woodland, where it hides under loose bark and in hollow tree limbs.^[1]

Diet

C. jonesii preys upon winged termites, ants, and moths.^[4]

Reproduction

C. jonesii is ovoviviparous.^[2] Litter size is usually two young, but may be as many as four.^[4]

Description

The dorsal pattern of C. jonesii varies from red to brown to gray, with dark spots or lines. On some individuals, the lines fuse into a black-bordered white stripe along the midline of the back. The Limpopo girdled lizard has a distinct dark dorsolateral stripe running from the head to the hips. The belly, throat, and lips are cream to yellow. The tail is very spiny and about 45% the total length of the animal. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.0–7.5 cm (2.4–3.0 in).^[4]

Taxonomy

The Limpopo girdled lizard is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum).^[4] When both species are held together, the Limpopo girdled lizard has a noticeably shorter snout.^{[citation needed]} In C. jonesii the nostril pierces the center of the nasal scale (the lower posterior corner of the nasal in C. tropidosternum).^{[citation needed]} All of the ventral scales on the throat and belly of C. jonesii are smooth instead of keeled.^[4] C. jonesii is exported from Mozambique for the pet trade, where it is often mislabeled as Cordylus vittifer.^{[citation needed]}