Platysaurus orientalis

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Scincomorpha
Superfamilia: Scincoidea

Familia: Cordylidae
Subfamilia: Platysaurinae
Genus: Platysaurus
Species: Platysaurus orientalis
Name

Platysaurus orientalis FitzSimons, 1941

References
Links

Uetz, P. & Hallermann, J. 2022. Platysaurus orientalis. The Reptile Database. Accessed on 20 october 2018.

Vernacular names
English: Sekhukhune Flat Lizard

The Sekukhune flat lizard (Platysaurus orientalis) is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. It has two subspecies.[3]

Description

Females and juveniles have a black back with white stripes, as well as a white belly. Adult male Sekukhune flat lizards have a green body, and a tail which is orange or red above, and yellow underneath.[4]
Geographic range and habitat

The Sekukhune flat lizard lives in a small area of savannah in South Africa in the Sekhukhuneland natural region. This includes the Mpumalanga Escarpment.[4]
Reproduction

Female Sekukhune flat lizards lay two eggs in a rock crack in early summer.[4]
Diet

The diet of the Sekukhune flat lizard includes insects, including caterpillars.[4]
Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized.[3]

P. o. orientalis V. FitzSimons, 1941 – Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga in South Africa.
P. o. fitzsimonsi Loveridge, 1944 – eastern Sekhukhuneland.

The subspecific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South African herpetologist (Mr.) Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[5]
See also

Platysaurus
Cordylidae

References

Bates, M.F.; Whiting, M.J. (2018). "Platysaurus orientalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T110165772A115677936. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T110165772A115677936.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
"Platysaurus orientalis ". Zipcode Zoo. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
"Platysaurus orientalis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Branch, Bill. 2004. Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Platysaurus orientalis, pp. 199-200 + Plate 74).

Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, p. 91).

Further reading

FitzSimons V. 1941. Descriptions of some New Lizards from South Africa and a Frog from Southern Rhodesia. Ann. Transvaal Mus. 20 (3): 273-281. (Platysaurus minor orientalis, new subspecies, p. 280).
Jacobsen NHG, Newbery RE. 1989. The Genus Platysaurus A. Smith 1844 in the Transvaal. African J. Herp. 36: 51-63. (Platysaurus orientalis, new combination; Platysaurus orientalis fitzsimonsi, new combination).
Loveridge A. 1944. Revision of the African Lizards of the Family Cordylidae. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 95 (1): 1-118 + Plates 1-12. (Platysaurus guttatus fitzsimonsi, new subspecies, pp. 88–89).