Pseudocordylus melanotus (Smith, 1838)

Common Names and Primary Distribution

Pseudocordylus melanotus, commonly called the common crag lizard or Highveld crag lizard, is a species of lizard that occurs in Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa.

Taxonomic Status Disagreement

There is taxonomic disagreement regarding Pseudocordylus subviridis: the Reptile Database treats it as a separate species, while the IUCN classifies it as a subspecies of Pseudocordylus melanotus.

Reproduction and Temperature Tolerance

This lizard is ovoviviparous, and can tolerate temperatures no lower than –5 °C.

Habitat Associations

As a result of this temperature tolerance, it lives on rocky outcrops, hills, and mountains across southern Africa.

Subspecies Range Details

Different subspecies occupy distinct ranges, including the inland mountains of the Eastern Cape (the Amatole–Great Winterberg region), the Cape Fold Mountains, the Natal and Transvaal Drakensberg and their foothills, Lesotho, Eswatini, an isolated population at Suikerbosrand, and the Magaliesberg, which is geologically part of the Transvaal Drakensberg.

Type Specimen Collection Information

The type specimen of this species was collected in 1838 by Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith, from the hills located between the main branches of the Orange River, east of Philippolis, Orange Free State.