Cordylus beraduccii
Cordylus beraduccii, the Maasai girdled lizard, is a species of girdled lizard that lives in Kenya and Tanzania.
Cordylus beraduccii | |
---|---|
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Cordylidae |
Genus: | Cordylus |
Species: | C. beraduccii |
Binomial name | |
Cordylus beraduccii Broadley & Branch, 2002 | |
Description
Range
The Maasai girdled lizard lives in the Maasai plains from the Ngong Hills to Dodoma.[1]
Habitat
The Maasai girdled lizard is a rock-dwelling species that tends to prefer rock outcroppings in savannas or temperate forests.
Reproduction
The Maasai girdled lizard reproduces both sexually and asexually.[2] They are ovoviviparous, meaning the parent produces eggs that hatch in the body, resulting in a live birth.[3] Usually 1-5 young are born.
Captivity
Because of the Maasai girdled lizard's timid behavior and ability to easily reproduce asexually in captivity has made them quite common in the pet trade. They are the second most common girdled lizard bred in captivity behind the East African spiny-tailed lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum), and both species tend to fall under the same name of armadillo lizard, though unlike the real species of the name (Ouroborus cataphractus), this species does not grasp its tail and form a ball for defense.
Taxonomy
The species was described by Donald G. Broadley and William R. Branch in 2002,[4] and named the species after the collector of the type specimen, Joe Beraducci.
References
- "Cordylus beraduccii". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- "New Scale Herpetoculture". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- "Ovoviviparous | Definition of Ovoviviparous by Lexico". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- Broadley, Donald G.; Branch, William R. (2002-06-01). "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. doi:10.1080/21564574.2002.9635459. ISSN 2156-4574.