The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

''Cordylus'' (

Sauria Sauria is the clade containing the most recent common ancestor of archosaurs (such as crocodilians, dinosaurs, etc.) and lepidosaurs (lizards and kin), and all its descendants. Since most molecular phylogenies recover turtles as more closely r ...

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 ...

) includes a wide variety of

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 small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

(live-bearing, without shelled eggs). Most species are rupicolous (rock-dwelling), while a few species are arboreal or live in burrows. They defend themselves with osteoderms (flat bony plates in the skin) and by quickly retreating into rock crevices or burrows. Many species live in groups, and males defend territories. Cordylids are generally listed under

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

Appendix II. They are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but trade is controlled to prevent

overexploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to replenish. The term ap ...

. Some species of ''Cordylus'' have limited ranges and may be threatened with

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

or over collecting for the pet trade.

Classification

Broadley (2006) recognized 47 species in the genus ''Cordylus'', including eight species originally placed in the genus '' Pseudocordylus'' (''P. fasciatus'', ''P. langi'', ''P. melanotus'', ''P. microlepidotus'', ''P. nebulosus'', ''P. spinosus'', ''P. subviridis'', and ''P. transvaalensis'') and ''Hemicordylus capensis''. The greatest diversity of cordylids is in South Africa, with a few species found in Angola and eastern Africa as far north as Ethiopia. Other members of the Cordylidae are the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

Chamaesaura The ''Chamaesaura'', also known as grass lizards, are a genus of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa. The limbs are reduced to small spikes. Chamaesaura propel themselves like snakes, pushing against contact points in the environmen ...

'' (a group of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa) and ''

Platysaurus ''Platysaurus'' is a genus of lizards, commonly known as flat lizards for their flat backs, in the family Cordylidae. Geographic range All species in the genus ''Platysaurus'' live in isolated populations in southern Africa. They are found in ...

''. The sister group of Cordylidae is the plated lizards,

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 ...

Gerrhosauridae The Gerrhosauridae are a family of lizards native to Africa and Madagascar. Habitat Also known as plated lizards, species in the family Gerrhosauridae live in a range of habitats, from rocky crevices to sand dunes. Description Their form i ...

. In 2011, a study based on the molecular

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

of the family suggested several species traditionally included in ''Cordylus'' should be moved to other genera: ''

Hemicordylus ''Hemicordylus'', the false girdled lizards, is a genus comprising two lizard species endemic to the Cape Fold Belt of southern South Africa. Description Their maximum snout-to-vent length is about 76 mm. They have gracile features, with a ...

'' (for ''capensis'' and ''nebulosus''), ''

Karusasaurus ''Karusasaurus'', commonly known as Karusa lizards, is a genus of lizards in the family Cordylidae. Its species were previously considered to be included in the genus ''Cordylus'', but more recent studies have shown that they are distinct enough ...

'' (for ''jordani'' and ''polyzonus''), ''

Namazonurus ''Namazonurus'', is a genus of lizards, Common name, commonly known as Namaqua girdled lizards, in the family Cordylidae. The genus contains five species, which are Endemism, endemic to southern Africa, and feed on insects and small vertebrates. ...

'' (for ''campbelli'', ''lawrenci'', ''namaquensis'', ''peersi'' and ''pustulatus''), ''

Ninurta , image= Cropped Image of Carving Showing the Mesopotamian God Ninurta.png , caption= Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from ...

'' (for ''coeruleopunctatus''), '' Ouroborus'' (for ''cataphractus'') and ''

Smaug Smaug () is a dragon and the main antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel ''The Hobbit'', his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 150 years prior t ...

'' (for ''breyeri'', ''giganteus'', ''mossambicus'', ''regius'', ''vandami'' and ''warreni''). This classification is supported by the ''

Reptile Database The Reptile Database is a scientific database that collects taxonomic information on all living reptile species (i.e. no fossil species such as dinosaurs). The database focuses on species (as opposed to higher ranks such as families) and has entri ...

'' where 21 species remain in ''Cordylus''. Uetz, Peter et al. (2014). www.reptile-database.org. Genus'' Cordylus'' (''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''): *Angolan girdled lizard, '' Cordylus angolensis'' *Maasai girdled lizard, '' Cordylus beraduccii'' *Cape girdled lizard, '' Cordylus cordylus'' *Rooiberg girdled lizard, '' Cordylus imkeae'' *Limpopo girdled lizard, '' Cordylus jonesii'' *Machadoe's girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus machadoi Machadoe's girdled lizard (''Cordylus machadoi'') is a flattened girdled lizard from southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia. They are found as solitary individuals or in pairs on rock outcrops in arid savannah. It can be identified, alo ...

'' *Coastal spiny-tailed lizard, ''

Cordylus macropholis ''Cordylus macropholis'', the large-scaled girdled lizard, is a small (55-77 mm) lizard endemic to the west coast of South Africa. They spend most of their time on and around a single plant species, ''Euphorbia caput-medusae'' which only o ...

'' *Marungu girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus marunguensis ''Cordylus marunguensis'', the Marungu girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. References Cordylus Reptiles of the Democratic Republic ...

'' *McLachlan's girdled lizard, '' Cordylus mclachlani'' *Mecula girdled lizard, '' Cordylus meculae'' *Dwarf girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus minor The western dwarf girdled lizard (''Cordylus minor'') is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in South Africa. References Cordylus Endemic reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 1943 ...

'' *Kaokoveld girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus namakuiyus ''Cordylus namakuiyus'', the Kaokoveld girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in Angola. References

Cordylus Reptiles of Angola Endemic fauna of Angola Reptiles described in 2 ...

'' *Black girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus niger ''Cordylus niger'', the black girdled lizard, is a medium-sized lizard restricted to Table Mountain on the Cape Peninsula and a second, isolated population near Langebaan. Black girdled lizards inhabit rocky outcrops on Table Mountain, South Afr ...

*Nyika girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus nyikae An isolated population of the Rhodesian girdled lizard The Rhodesian girdled lizard (''Cordylus rhodesianus'') is one of three species of very flattened girdled lizards from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. The other two species are '' Cordyl ...

'' *Oelofsen's girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus oelofseni Oelofsen's girdled lizard (''Cordylus oelofseni'') is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in South Africa. References Cordylus Endemic reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 1990 Tax ...

'' *N’Dolondolo girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus phonolithos ''Cordylus phonolithos'', the N’Dolondolo girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in Angola. References Cordylus Reptiles of Angola Endemic fauna of Angola Reptiles describ ...

'' *Rhodesian girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus rhodesianus The genus ''Cordylus'' (Sauria: Cordylidae) includes a wide variety of species of small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and ovoviviparous (live-bearing, without she ...

'' *Ethiopian girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus rivae ''Cordylus rivae'', the Ethiopian girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is a small, spiny lizard found in Ethiopia. References Cordylus Reptiles of Ethiopia Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Reptiles described i ...

'' *East African spiny-tailed lizard, '' Cordylus tropidosternum'' *Ukinga girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus ukingensis The Ukinga girdled lizard (''Cordylus ukingensis'') is a poorly known species of girdled lizard from central Tanzania. They are rupicolous (rock-dwelling) and feed on small arthropods. The dorsal coloration is red-brown with scattered dark mo ...

'' *Transvaal girdled lizard, ''

Cordylus vittifer The Transvaal girdled lizard or Reichenow's spiny-tailed lizard (''Cordylus vittifer'') is a very flattened girdled lizard from northeastern South Africa, Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and former ...

'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Cordylus''. Formerly assigned in ''Cordylus'' (''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''): *species in the genus ''

'' *species in the genus ''

'' * Blue-spotted girdled lizard, ''Ninurta coeruleopunctatus'' * Armadillo girdled lizard, ''Ouroborus cataphractus'' *species in the genus '' Pseudocordylus'' *species in the genus ''

References

External links

Tallbo
{{Taxonbar, from=Q536460 Lizard genera Taxa named by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti

Classification

References

Further reading

External links