''Smaug breyeri'', also known
commonly as the Waterberg dragon lizard or the Waterberg girdled lizard, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Cordylidae
Cordylidae is a family of small- to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards.
Cordylidae is closely related to the family Gerrhosauridae ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''breyeri'', is in honor of Dutch naturalist
Hermann Gottfried Breyer.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Cordylus warreni breyeri'', p. 38).]
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''S. breyeri'' is rocky areas of
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
, at altitudes of .
Description
Adults of ''S. breyeri'' usually have a
snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , but may grow as large as SVL.
[
]
Reproduction
''S. breyeri'' is viviparous
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...
.[ Two to four young are born in summer. Compared to adults, the neonates are quite large, each measuring about in total length (including tail).][ Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Cordylus breyeri'', p. 197 + Plate 105).]
References
Further reading
* FitzSimons VF (1943). ''The Lizards of South Africa''. Transvaal Museum Memoir No. 1. Pretoria: Transvaal Museum. xvi + 528 pp. (''Cordylus warreni breyeri'', new combination).
* Stanley EL, Bauer AM, Jackman TR, Branch WR, Mouton PLFN (2011). "Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 58 (1): 53–70. (''Smaug breyeri'', new combination).
* Van Dam GPF (1921). "Descriptions of new species of ''Zonurus'', and notes on the species of ''Zonurus'' occurring in the Transvaal". ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' 7 (4): 239–243. (''Zonurus breyeri'', new species).
breyeri
Reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles described in 1921
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