Pseudocordylus microlepidotus

Pseudocordylus microlepidotus
Pseudocordylus microlepidotus microlepidotus on Table Mountain
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Cordylidae
Genus: Pseudocordylus
Species:
P. microlepidotus
Binomial name
Pseudocordylus microlepidotus
(Cuvier, 1829)

Pseudocordylus microlepidotus, or the Cape crag lizard, is a species of lizard native to shrublands and grasslands of South Africa.[1] Three subspecies have been named: Pseudocordylus microlepidotus microlepidotus, Pseudocordylus microlepidotus fasciatus, and Pseudocordylus microlepidotus namaquensis.[2] The species' gestation type is ovoviviparous. The species is protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).[3]

Description

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The two sexes are similar in size; however, males have larger heads and develop more glands than females.[4] The sexes begin to differentiate before sexual maturity.

References

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  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  2. ^ "Pseudocordylus microlepidotus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  3. ^ "Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  4. ^ Mouton, P. le Fras N.; Gagiano, Carmen; Sachse, Beate (2005-06-01). "Generation glands and sexual size dimorphism in the Cape Crag Lizard, Pseudocordylus microlepidotus". African Journal of Herpetology. 54 (1): 43–51. Bibcode:2005AfJH...54...43M. doi:10.1080/21564574.2005.9635516. ISSN 2156-4574. S2CID 83968220.