Pungwe flat lizard explained

The Pungwe flat lizard (Platysaurus pungweensis) is a species of lizard in the Cordylidae family.

Description

Females and juveniles of the Pungwe flat lizard are black and striped on their backs. Males vary by subspecies. The species resembles the common flat lizard, Platysaurus intermedius.

Geography

Pungwe flat lizards live in eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique. The type was obtained at the Pungwe River at 730 m (2,400 ft) above sea level, near the eastern border of Rhodesia (current Zimbabwe).

Habitat and ecology

Pungwe flat lizards inhabit low rock outcrops and large hills in mesic savanna. They eat ants and beetles.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are accepted:

• P. p. pungweensis – Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique
• P. p. blakei Broadley, 1964 – outcrops and inselbergs in the lowlands of southern Manica Platform, central Mozambique. Type locality 15order=flipNaNorder=flip southeast of Vila de Manica.^[1]

External links

• More Information

Notes and References

1. Web site: Adolphs . Klaus . Platysaurus Smith, 1844 . www.squamata.de . 29 July 2015 . 24 December 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190405131003/http://www.squamata.de:80/c_news/c_archive/c_archive/c_platy.html . 5 April 2019.