The Rhodesian girdled lizard (''Cordylus rhodesianus'') is one of three species of very flattened girdled lizards from

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. The other two species are '' Cordylus nyikae'' and ''

Cordylus meculae ''Cordylus meculae'', the Mecula girdled lizard, is a third species from the Rhodesian girdled lizard complex, and was described from Mount Mecula in northern Mozambique. It lives in granite outcrops of montane grasslands and dry miombo The Mio ...

''. They are found living under stones in rock outcrops where they feed on small

arthropods Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

. Adults are 60–90 mm long from snout to vent. The tail length is approximately half the total length. Also known as the Zimbabwe girdled lizard, they live in rocky montane

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s of eastern Zimbabwe. The head shields are smooth or slightly rugose. The nostril is pierced in the center of the nasal scale and the dorsal scales have a serrated posterior margin. The back is olive-brown with irregularly spaced dark and light blotches. The belly is yellow to gray. Both sexes have femoral pores. Zimbabwe girdled lizards are exported from Mozambique for the pet trade. Zimbabwe girdled lizards remain skittish in captivity and require numerous hiding places constructed with stacked rocks.

References

Branch, B., 1998. Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing, Sanibel Island, Florida, 399 p. Branch, W. R., Rodel, M.-O., and Marais, J., 2005. A new species of rupicolous ''Cordylus'' Laurenti 1768 (Sauria: Cordylidae) from Northern Mozambique: African Journal of Herpetology, 54(2): 131-138. Broadley, D. G., and Branch, W. R., 2002. A review of the small east African ''Cordylus'' (Sauria: Cordylidae), with the description of a new species: African Journal of Herpetology, 51(1): 9-34. Broadley, D. G., and Mouton, P. F. N., 2000. A new species of rupicolous ''Cordylus'' Laurenti from Malawi (Sauria: Cordylidae): African Journal of Herpetology, 49(2): 169-172. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2711973 Cordylus Reptiles described in 1933 Taxa named by John Hewitt (herpetologist)