Platysaurus broadleyi (original) (raw)
Platysaurus braodleyi
Broadley�s flat lizard
(Endemic) SVL 70-75 mm; max SVL 86 mm male, 76 mm female.Very similar in scalation to the Cape flat lizard, P.capensis, but differs in having finer scalation on the top of the forelimbs, and 92-177 transverse granules across the back. The ventrals are in 19-23 longitudinal rows. Males have 15-18 femoral pores. Females and juvenils have a dark brown back, with three broad, cream stripes that may be broken up into spots, or may have spots between them. The belly is white, sometimes with a blackish patch in the middle, and is suffused with pale orange to the rear; the tail is straw-coloured. In adult males, the top of the head is bluish, and the back greenish, with a darker area in the middle and with vestiges of the juvenils stripes and spots. The forelimbs are yellow to orange, the throat is dark blue, and the belly is black in front merging into orange towards the tail. The tail is tan above, and orange below and on the sides. Biology and breeding : These beatiful lizards are common in the smooth granite walls of the Augrabies Falls National Park, where they tolerate thousands of tourists. In summer they gorge on swarms of black flies that congregate near rivers, but can also be seen feeding on the ripe berries of Namaqua fig trees. A major predator is the rock kestrel. Sexual maturity is reached at around 64 mm SVL in both sexes. Females lays two egg clutches in early summer. Habitat : Rocky arid savannah. Range : Lower Orange River between Augrabies Falls and Pella.