Lebombo Flat Lizard
Encyclopedia
The Lebombo Flat Lizard (Platysaurus lebomboensis) is a species
of lizard
in the Cordylidae
family.
, including Transvaal
, Swaziland
, and KwaZulu-Natal
, a province
in South Africa
. This area includes Middle Lebombo Range.
The habitat of this small lizard include grasslands and thickets.
of Platysaurus intermedius, P. i. wilhelmi. Females, males, and juveniles of the Lebombo Flat Lizard are black-brown-gray, with a blue belly and white spots and stripes on the back.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
in the Cordylidae
Cordylidae
Cordylidae is a family of small to medium sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as "Girdled", Spinytail lizards or Girdle-tail lizards. Girdled lizards are diurnal and insectivorous...
family.
Geography
The Lebombo Flat Lizard lives in southern AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, including Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, and KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. This area includes Middle Lebombo Range.
The habitat of this small lizard include grasslands and thickets.
Description
Lebombo Flat Lizards are closely related to a subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Platysaurus intermedius, P. i. wilhelmi. Females, males, and juveniles of the Lebombo Flat Lizard are black-brown-gray, with a blue belly and white spots and stripes on the back.