Pungwe flat lizard

The Pungwe flat lizard (Platysaurus pungweensis) is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.

Pungwe flat lizard
Individual at the Frankfurt Zoo
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Cordylidae
Genus:	Platysaurus
Species:	P. pungweensis
Binomial name
Platysaurus pungweensis Broadley, 1959

Description

Females and juveniles of the Pungwe flat lizard are black and striped on their backs. Males vary by subspecies. The species resembles the common flat lizard, Platysaurus intermedius.

Geography

Pungwe flat lizards live in eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique.^[1][2] The type was obtained at the Pungwe River at 730 m (2,400 ft) above sea level, near the eastern border of Rhodesia (current Zimbabwe).^[2]

Habitat and ecology

Pungwe flat lizards inhabit low rock outcrops and large hills in mesic savanna.^[1] They eat ants and beetles.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are accepted:^[1][2]

• P. p. pungweensis – Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique
• P. p. blakei Broadley, 1964 – outcrops and inselbergs in the lowlands of southern Manica Platform, central Mozambique. Type locality 24 kilometres (15 miles) southeast of Vila de Manica.^[3]