Pedioplanis breviceps explained

Pedioplanis breviceps, known commonly as the short-headed sand lizard, the short-headed sandveld lizard, and Sternfeld's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Geographic range

P. breviceps is found in northwestern Namibia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. breviceps is desert.

Description

P. breviceps is a small species for its genus. It has a short head, to which the specific name, breviceps, refers. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4.5-. The lower eyelid is scaly and opaque, without a "window". There is sexual dimorphism in coloration: adult females and juveniles have distinct dark dorsal stripes, but adult males are uniformly brown dorsally.^[1]

Reproduction

P. breviceps is oviparous. An adult female may lay a clutch of 2–4 eggs. Each egg measures 11mm by 6mm. Each hatchling has a total length (including tail) of 5-.^[1]

Further reading

• Conradie W, Measey GJ, Branch WR, Tolley KA (2012). "Revised phylogeny of African sand lizards (Pedioplanis), with description of two new species from south-western Angola". African Journal of Herpetology 61 (2): 91–112.
• Makokha JS,, Mayer W, Matthee CA (2007). "Nuclear and mtDNA-based phylogeny of southern African sand lizards, Pedioplanis (Sauria: Lacertidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44 (2): 622–633.
• Sternfeld R (1911). "Zur Herpetologie Südwestafrikas ". Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 5: 393–411. (Eremias breviceps, new species, p. 404, Figure 2). (in German).

Notes and References

1. [William Roy Branch|Branch, Bill]