Mitchell's flat lizard (''Platysaurus mitchelli'')
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
lizards in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''mitchelli'', is in honor of
naturalist Bernard Lindley Mitchell of the Department of Game, Fish, and
Tsetse
Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glos ...
Control in
Nyasaland
Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...
(now Malawi) in the 1940s.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Platysaurus mitchelli'', p. 179).]
Geographic range
''P. mitchelli'' is found in
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
.
Reproduction
''P. mitchelli'' is
oviparous.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Loveridge A (1953). "Zoological Results of a Fifth Expedition to East Africa. III. Reptiles from Nyasaland and Tete". ''Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard College'' 110 (3): 142–322. (''Platysaurus mitchelli'', new species, pp. 234–237).
*Stanley, Edward L.; Bauer, Aaron M.; Jackman, Todd R.; Branch, William R.; Mouton, P. Le Fras N. (2011). "Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 58 (1): 53–70.
External links
Taxonomy and range of ''Platysaurus mitchelli'' at ZipcodeZoo.com
Platysaurus
Endemic fauna of Malawi
Reptiles described in 1953
Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge
Reptiles of Malawi
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