''Congolacerta'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of equatorial African lacertids of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Lacertidae The Lacertidae are the family (biology), family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at least 300 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group o ...

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

of this

are distributed in western

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

.Greenbaum et al. 2011 Male of Congolacerta vauereselli

Etymology

The name ''Congolacerta'' is a combination of "Congo" and "lacerta" (lizard). The common name is Congo Lizard.Greenbaum et al. 2011

Distribution

''Congolacerta vauereselli'' occurs from the Lendu Plateau (west of Lake Albert in

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

) along the Albertine Rift and its foothills through southwestern

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

, and northwestern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

as far south as the Kabobo Plateau at the border of South Kivu and

Katanga Province Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...

s, Democratic Republic of Congo.Spawls et al. 2002 ''C. asukului'' is known from only four localities from a small area (550 km2) at the highest elevations of the Itombwe Plateau/South Kivu/Democratic Republic of Congo.

Habitat and natural history

''Congolacerta'' are diurnal lacertid lizards which are good climbers on standing and fallen timber and rocky walls and presumably lay eggs. They emerge to bask as the morning warms up, and will then hunt for small

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s. ''Congolacerta vauereselli'' can be found in clearings and openings within Guineo-Congolian forests from 1000–2675 m altitude. In Parc National des Volcans/Rwanda this species lives only on the artificial volcanic rock wall (which is 1–2 m high) intended to keep buffalo (''Syncerus caffer'') inside the park boundary (buffalo wall). ''C. vauereselli'' is sympatric in this region with ''

Adolfus jacksoni ''Adolfus jacksoni'', also known as Jackson's forest lizard, is a species of lizard found in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is named after Frederick John Jackson Sir Frederick John J ...

'' and were found basking within 3 m of each other on the wall. ''Adolfus jacksoni'' appeared to be more common than ''C. vauereselli''. Spawls et al. (2002) mentions that ''C. vauereselli '' is a true forest lizard, but it was never encountered in true forest or any other closed canopy habitat.Roelke & Smith 2010 ''Congolacerta asukului'' occurs in high-elevation grasslands (more than 2650 m altitude) often near rocky outcrops of the Itombwe Plateau in the Albertine Rift Montane Forest ecoregion. They inhabit high-elevation meadows that are common amongst rivers, swamps, and subalpine scrub forests, which are dominated by tree heathers and other Ericaceae. Individuals were observed basking on rocks, and they retreat to small burrows amongst tussocks of grass.

Species

The following

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

are recognized as being valid."''Congolacerta''"
The Reptile Database
/ref> * '' Congolacerta asukului'' - Asukulu's grass lizard * '' Congolacerta vauereselli'' - sparse-scaled forest lizard

References

*Arnold, E.N. 1989. "''Systematics and adaptive radiation of Equatorial African lizards assigned to the genera Adolfus, Bedriagaia, Gastropholis, Holaspis and Lacerta (Reptilia: Lacertidae)''". ''Journal of Natural History'' 23: 525-555. * Greenbaum, E., Villanueva, C.O., Kusamba, C., Aristote, M.M. & Branch, W.R. 2011
"''A molecular phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the description of a new genus and species from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo''"
''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 163: 913–942. *Roelke, C.E. & Smith, E.N. 2010
"''Herpetofauna, Parc National des Volcans, North Province, Republic of Rwanda''"
''Check List'' 6 (4): 525-531. *Schmidt, K.P. 1919
"''Contributions to the herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Congo Expedition, 1909-1915. Part I. Turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and chameleons''"
''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History'' 39 (2): 385–624. * Sternfeld, R. 1912
"Reptilia"
pp. 197–279 + Tafeln VI-IX. ''In:'' Schubotz, H. (Editor). 1913. ''Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Zentral-Afrika-Expedition 1907-1908 unter Führung Adolf Friedrichs, Herzogs zu Mecklenburg, Band IV'' '', Zoologie II.'' Leipzig: Klinkhardt & Biermann. 485 S. + 11 Tafeln. (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

). *Spawls, S., Howell, K.M., Drewes, R.C. and Ashe, J. 2002. "''A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa''". ''Academic Press, Elsevier Science, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Boston, London''. * Tornier, G. 1902
"''Herpetologisch Neues aus Ost-Afrika''"
''Zoologischer Anzeiger'' 25: 700-704.(in

External links

*For photos of the species see
Congolacerta asulului on lacerta.de

Congolacerta vauereselli on lacerta.de
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2992997 Lizard genera Taxa named by Eli Greenbaum Taxa named by Cesar O. Villanueva Taxa named by Chifundera Kusamba Taxa named by Mwenebatu M. Aristote Taxa named by William Roy Branch