The false girdled lizard (''Hemicordylus capensis'') is a lizard species endemic to the

Cape Fold Belt The Cape Fold Belt is a fold and thrust belt of late Paleozoic age, which affected the sequence of sedimentary rock layers of the Cape Supergroup in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It was originally continuous with the Ventana Mount ...

of southern

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Description

The maximum snout-to-vent length is about 76 mm. Like its sister species ''

Hemicordylus nebulosus ''Hemicordylus nebulosus'' is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family. It is Endemism, endemic to South Africa on the mist belt of northern slope of the Hottentots Holland Mountains. The scientific name, H. nebulosus means cloud or dark crag ...

'', it has gracile features, with a

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

described as intermediate between typical ''

Cordylus The genus ''Cordylus'' (Sauria: Cordylidae) includes a wide variety of species of small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and ovoviviparous (live-bearing, without she ...

'' and the larger, more robust ''

Pseudocordylus ''Pseudocordylus'' is a genus of small to large girdled lizards from South Africa, commonly known as crag lizards. Six species of ''Pseudocordylus'' are known; they are distinguished from girdled lizards of the genus ''Cordylus'' by the presen ...

''. They have long limbs, and long slender digits. Some populations are melanistic and sexually dichromatic.

Habits

Their specialized adaptation to steep rock faces is believed to have favoured their agility and lightly armored anatomy.Eifler et al., 2007; Janse van Rensburg, 2009; Janse van Rensburg et al., 2009 They give live birth to one to three young.

References

* ''Hemicordylus'' resurrected
Stanley et al, 2011
Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae) Hemicordylus Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 1838 Taxa named by Andrew Smith (zoologist) {{lizard-stub