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Cordylus macropholis (BOULENGER, 1910)

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Higher TaxaCordylidae (Cordylinae), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Large-scaled Girdled Lizard
G: Großschuppiger Gürtelschweif 
SynonymZonurus macropholis BOULENGER 1910: 494
Cordylus macropholis — FITZSIMONS 1943
Cordylus macropholis — FROST et al. 2001
Cordylus macropholis — STANLEY et al. 2011
Cordylus macropholis — REISSIG 2014 
DistributionW Republic of South Africa (from Yzerfontein to Kleinzee)

Type locality: Little Namaqualand, South Africa.  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: SAM (South African Museum, Capetown) 
Diagnosis 
CommentOvoviviparous.

Sexual dimorphism: The axilla-groin length of adult females was significantly larger than in males, but males had larger heads and longer tails than females. Adult males had twice the number of femoral pores as females and also significantly more generation glands. Neonates had the same number of pores as adult males indicating that males and females are born with the same number of pores, but that the outer pores degenerate in females during maturation (Mouton et al. 2000). 
EtymologyNamed after its large (”macro”) scales (Greek: “pholis”). 
References
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1910. A revised list of the South African reptiles and batrachians, with synoptic tables, special reference to the specimens in the South African Museum, and descriptions of new species. Annals of the South African Museum 5: 455-543 - get paper here
  • Frost, D.; Janies, D.; Le Fras N. Mouton, P. & Titus, T. 2003. A molecular perspective on the phylogeny of the Girdled Lizards (Cordylidae, Squamata). American Museum Novitates (3310): 1-10 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1936. African reptiles and amphibians in the Field Museum of Natural History. Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Chicago, 22 (1): 1-122 - get paper here
  • McLachlan, G. R., Spence, J. M. 1966. Notes on Cordylus macropholis, BOULENGER. Annals Cape Prov. Mus., 5: 139-143
  • McLachlan, Geoff R. 1979. Distribution of Cordylus macropholis. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa 20: 5. - get paper here
  • Mouton, P. Le Fras N. 2011. Aggregation behaviour of lizards in the arid western regions of South Africa. African Journal of Herpetology 60 (2): 155-170 - get paper here
  • Mouton, P. le Fras N.; Flemming,A.F. & Nieuwoudt, C.J. 2000. Sexual dimorphism and sex ratio in a terrestrial girdled lizard, Cordylus macropholis. Journal of Herpetology 34 (3): 379-386 - get paper here
  • Nieuwoudt, C.J., P. le F.N. Mouton & A.F. Flemming 2003. Sex Ratio, Group Composition and Male Spacing in the Large-Sclaed Girdled Lizard, Cordylus macropholis Journal of Herpetology 37 (3): 577-580. - get paper here
  • Nieuwoudt, Cara J.; P. le Fras N. Mouton, Alexander F. Flemming 2003. Aggregation behaviour and movement patterns in the large-scaled girdled lizard, Cordylus macropholis. Amphibia-Reptilia 24 (3): 345-357 - get paper here
  • Reissig, J. 2014. Girdled Lizards and Their Relatives. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, ISBN-10: 3899734378
  • Riley, J L & Baxter-Gilbert, J; 2019. Cordylus macropholis (Large-scaled Girdled Lizard) Avian predation. Herpetological Review 50 (2): 371-372 - get paper here
  • Stanley, Edward L.; Aaron M. Bauer; Todd R. Jackman, William R. Branch, P. Le Fras N. Mouton 2011. Between a rock and a hard polytomy: rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizard (Squamata: Cordylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 58(1): 53-70. - get paper here
  • Switak, Karl H. 1995. Die Gürtelschweife der Gattung Cordylus. TI-Magazin, Nr. 121 (Januar 1995), 42-47.
  • Switak, Karl H. 1995. Girdle-tailed lizards of the genus Cordylus. Reptiles 3 (6): 8-24
  • Villiers, André de, P. le Fras N. Mouton and Alexander Flemming. 2015. Generation glands of cordylid lizards: mechanism of secretion transfer to the environment. Amphibia-Reptilia 36 (4): 351-360 - get paper here
  • Visagie, Louise; Mouton, P. le Fras N.; Bauwens, Dirk 2005. Experimental Analysis of Grouping Behaviour in Cordylid Lizards. The Herpetological Journal 15: 91-96 - get paper here
  • Visser, John D. 1979. The distribution of Cordylus macropholis. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa 21: 8. - get paper here
 
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