''Cordylus beraduccii'', also known
commonly as the Maasai girdled lizard, is a
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
girdled lizard in 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 ...
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 ...
. The species is native to
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 ...
.
Geographic range
''C. beraduccii'' is found in
Kenya
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, image_map =
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, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and
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 ...
, where it lives in the Maasai plains from the
Ngong Hills to
Dodoma
Dodoma ( in Gogo), officially Dodoma City, is the national capital of Tanzania and the capital of the Dodoma Region, with a population of 410,956.
In 1974, the Tanzanian government announced that the capital would be moved to Dodoma for social a ...
.
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. It is an
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 ...
species, meaning that the female parent produces eggs that hatch in the body, resulting in a live birth. Usually 1-5 young are born.
Captivity
Because of the Maasai girdled lizard's timid behavior and ability to easily reproduce asexually in captivity, it is quite common in the pet trade. It is 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 that name (''
Ouroborus cataphractus''), this species does not grasp its tail and form a ball for defense.
Taxonomy
The species ''C. beraduccii'' was described in 2002 by
Donald G. Broadley and
William R. "Bill" Branch, who named the species after the collector of the
type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
, Joe Beraducci.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Cordylus beraduccii'', p. 23).]
References
Further reading
*
Spawls S,
Howell K,
Hinkel H,
Menegon M (2018). ''Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition''. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. .
{{lizard-stub
Cordylus
Reptiles described in 2002
Taxa named by Donald George Broadley
Taxa named by William Roy Branch