Broadley's Flat Lizard
| Augrabies Flat Lizard | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Male coloration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Cordylidae |
| Genus: | Platysaurus |
| Species: | P. broadleyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Platysaurus broadleyi Branch & Whiting 1997 |
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The Augrabies Flat Lizard (Platysaurus broadleyi) is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family found in South Africa.
Geography
The Augrabies Flat Lizard has its range between Augrabies Falls and Pella, North Cape in South Africa. This area includes the lower Orange River, Northern Cape Province, and Gordonia District.[1] This lizard's habitat is rocky savannahs.
Description
Females and juveniles have a dark brown back, with three thick, cream stripes on the back. These stripes may be broken up into spots, or have spots in between the stripes. The belly is white, sometimes with a black dot on it, and at the rear there is an orange color. The tail is straw-colored. Adult males have a bluish head and a greenish back. A darker area in the middle and the vestiges of the juvenile stripes and spots are also present. The forelimbs are yellow to orange, the throat is dark blue, and the belly is black in the front but becomes orange near the tail. Above the tail, it is a tan color, while below and on the sides, it is orange. All this coloration, while it helps attract females, also has a downside: predators such as kestrels easily spot them. Females, on the other hand, have much more subdued coloration and are less likely to be eaten.[2] The Augrabies Flat Lizard is very similar to Platysaurus capensis, or the Cape Flat Lizard, in scalation, but differs in having finer scalation on top of the forelimbs.
Habits
Augrabies Flat Lizards are common on the granite walls of Augrabies Falls National Park, where they are exposed to thousands of tourists. In summer, they perform acrobatic leaps to catch black flies on the wing from the swarms that gather near rivers, but they will also eat ripe berries of Namaqua Figs. Augrabies Flat Lizards will follow bird flocks to find these fruit-laden trees.[3] One major predator of this lizard is the Rock Kestrel. Research indicates that the higher the UV levels on a male's throat, the more dominant it is and is less likely to be challenged.[4] These flat lizards have been discovered to have a much higher visual sensitivity to UV light than other lizards species, allowing males to accurately distinguish between conspecifics of various fitness. They have as many as three times the number of UV photoreceptor cells in their retina compared to other lizards.[5]
Breeding
Sexual maturity is reached at around 64 mm for both sexes. Females lay two clutches of eggs in early summer.
References
- ^ "Platysaurus broadleyi BRANCH & WHITING, 1997". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ "Image of Flat Lizard (Platysaurus broadleyi)". posted on Flickr. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "Follow that bird". New Scientist. 1998-12-19. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ Stapley, J. and Whiting, M.J. (2006-06-22). "Ultraviolet signals fighting ability in a lizard". Biology Letters 2 (2): 169–72. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0419. PMC 1618919. PMID 17148355.
- ^ Lizards found to send secret signals, Australian Geographic, March 16, 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Platysaurus broadleyi |
