''Ichnotropis capensis'' is a species of African lizard, which is native to the southern

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

. It is the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

for the genus ''

Ichnotropis ''Ichnotropis'' is a genus of African lizards in the family Lacertidae. Species in the genus ''Ichnotropis'' are commonly called rough-scaled lizards."''Ichnotropis'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. Species The following six s ...

'', and is commonly called the Cape rough-scaled lizard due to them being found in southern Africa's

Cape region The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province. The Cap ...

. They are also called ornate rough-scaled lizard or Smith's rough-scaled sand lizard. The small lizards are terrestrial and occur in grassland, desert and brush areas of southern Africa.

Description

''I. capensis'' are medium-sized lizards with slender bodies, long tails, and well developed legs. Most of the specimens found are less than 76 mm long in snout–to-vent lengt
(SVL)
and share the general characteristics of its genus, including the following: * Keeled or overlapping dorsal scales are present, and the head shields are smooth to slightly rough * Subocular scales border the lip, and no collar is present * Smooth or tubular

lamellae Lamella (: lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * Lame ...

are present under the toes, but the toes lack a

serrated Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied pr ...

or fringed edge * The cylindrical tail lacks a

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to: Biology and healthcare * Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side" * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx * Lateral release ( ...

fringe ''I. capensis'' is notably distinct from the genus in that the hind legs do not reach the underarm of the forelimbs. Adults have uniform grey and yellowish brown backs with white lateral stripes that may be bordered with dark black spots. The juvenile has a pale grey and brown back with white lateral stripes.

Races

There are two accepted races: * ''Ichnotropis capensis capensis'' (A.Smith, 1838) * ''Ichnotropis capensis nigrescens'' Laurent, 1952

Habitat

It occurs in semi-arid shrub savannas of Africa, where they seek shelter in soft soiled burrows, under rocks and brush. The species has been reported from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, and

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

.''Ichnotropis capensis''
fro
the Database
online

Biology

These lizards are

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores we ...

and feed on termites and other small insects. They are active hunters during the day and many specimens have been found around termite mounds.

Mating

Along with other

, this lizard species is

semelparous Semelparity and iteroparity are two contrasting reproductive strategies available to living organisms. A species is considered ''semelparous'' if it is characterized by a single reproduction, reproductive episode before death, and ''iteroparous ...

, with little overlap of adult and juveniles life stages. Life expectancy is 13 to 14 months, and mating occurs in the spring with hatchlings appearing in late summer from October to December. Females make an inclining burrow in soft soil 100 to 200 mm long and lay 3-9 eggs (6.5 mm x 9.5 mm). The females may have up to two

clutches A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does the ...

in their lifetime.

Taxonomy and evolution

Based on morphological evidence from the ''capensis'' species, southern African genus ''Ichnotropis'' and North American genus ''

Psammodromus ''Psammodromus'' is a small genus of sand lizards of the family ''Lacertidae''. It has six described species, which are found in European and North African countries next to the Mediterranean. Species The following species are recognized as bei ...

'' diverged from a common ancestor in the lineage of ''

Lacerta lepida The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (''Timon lepidus'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Common names Additional common names for ''T. lepidus'' include eyed lizard ...

'' and ''Lacerta monticola'' during the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

epoch (24 to 36 million years ago).

Predators

It is recorded as prey of the

shikra The shikra (''Tachyspiza badia'') is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usual ...

and

secretarybird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large bird of prey that is Endemism, endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and s ...

, both birds of prey that are

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to Africa.Biodiversity Explorer online
''Sagittarius serpentarius'' They may have other predators as well, as they are small lizards, but there is no evidence suggesting that they are endangered or hunted by indigenous people who live near their habitat. Apparently hunting does not harm them sufficiently to be considered threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5086621 Ichnotropis Lizards of Africa Reptiles of Botswana Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Reptiles of Mozambique Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles of Zambia Taxa named by Andrew Smith (zoologist) Reptiles described in 1838