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Picking a tree: habitat use by the tree agama, Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis, in South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Leeann T. Reaney --- Communication and Behaviour Research Group, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Martin J. Whiting --- Communication and Behaviour Research Group, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaWe studied tree agama (Acanthocercus a. atricollis) habitat use in the Magaliesberg mountain range in northern South Africa using sightings of marked individuals, and in a few cases, radio-telemetry. Acanthocercus a. atricollis preferentially selected thorn trees (46%; Acacia karroo), followed... -
Ecology of Wahlberg’s velvet gecko, Homopholis wahlbergii, in southern Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Martin J. Whiting --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Leeann T. Reaney --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa J. Scott Keogh --- School of Botany and Zoology, The Australian National University, AustraliaWe examined 170 museum specimens of the southern African gekkonid lizard Homopholis wahlbergii, to quantify sexual dimorphism, male and female reproductive cycles and diet. The largest male and female we recorded were 116 and 119 mm snout–vent length (SVL) respectively... -
Male flat lizards prefer females with novel scents
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Belinda A. Lewis --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Martin J. Whiting --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Jessica Stapley --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaIn lizards, pheromonal cues are important for mate recognition and are expected to diverge during the speciation process. We tested for divergence in pheromonal mate and species recognition between male flat lizards (Platysaurus broadleyi) belonging to the same population, a... -
Habitat use and movement patterns in the graceful crag lizard, Pseudocordylus capensis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Douglas A. Eifler --- USDA Forest Service Liaison’s Office, U.S.A. Maria A. Eifler --- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U.S.A. Erin N. Eifler --- , U.S.A.We characterized the habitat use and movement patterns of adult male, adult female and juvenile Pseudocordylus capensis, a diurnal, rock-dwelling, insectivorous lizard. Rock use was vertically stratified: males spent most of their time at local high points, females at mid-level... -
Autotomy, tail regeneration and jumping ability in Cape dwarf geckos (Lygodactylus capensis) (Gekkonidae)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Patricia A. Fleming --- School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia Philip W. Bateman --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South AfricaMany studies have examined the effect of caudal autotomy on speed and behaviour of lizards escaping over horizontal surfaces, but there have been few studies on lizards escaping over vertical surfaces and, in particular, species that jump between surfaces. We... -
Sexual size dimorphism in the lizard Oplurus cuvieri cuvieri (Squamata, Opluridae) from Madagascar
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Herilala J.A.R Randriamahazo --- Department of Zoology, JapanSexual size dimorphism in the medium-sized lizard Oplurus cuvieri cuvieri, which is endemic to the dry deciduous forest of Madagascar, is presented. Adults are sexually dimorphic in body size, head size, and tail length. Males have a greater snout–vent length... -
Genetic variability in the ocellated lizard Timon tangitanus in Morocco
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Ana Perera --- CIBIO UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal James D. Harris --- CIBIO UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, PortugalThe ocellated lizards in the Timon lepidus/tangitanus/pater complex include the largest lacertids living in continental Europe and North Africa. Long considered a single species (T. pater), the division of the North African ocellated lizards into two species, T. pater in... -
Intraspecific behavioural variation in the lacertid lizard Meroles cuneirostris (Strauch, 1867) (Sauria:Lacertidae)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Jackie L. Childers --- , , USA Douglas A. Eifler --- , USAWe characterised behavioural variation between adult male, adult female and juvenile Meroles cuneirostris, a diurnal lacertid lizard endemic to the Namib Desert. Variation in microhabitat preference was significant between age classes, as adults spent more time underneath vegetative cover than... -
Sexual dimorphism in morphological traits and scaling relationships in two populations of Gallotia stehlini (Fam. Lacertidae: Squamata) from Gran Canaria
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Cristina Rivero Suárez --- , , Spain Miguel Angel Rodríguez-Domínguez --- , Miguel Molina-Borja --- , , SpainLizards of the genus Gallotia, endemic to the Canary Islands, show morphological and colouration varieties that are related to within island variation in orographic and climatic characteristics. This study examines sexual size dimorphism (SSD) within and between population variation in... -
New distributional data and genetic variation of Panaspis breviceps (Squamata: Scincidae) indicate a biogeographic connection across the Congo Basin
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Albert L Lokasola --- , Democratic Republic of the Congo Cédric Botshuna Lotana --- , Democratic Republic of the Congo Guy-Crispin Gembu Tungaluna --- , Democratic Republic of the Congo Benjamin Dudu Akaibe --- , Democratic Republic of the Congo Miloslav Jirků --- , Czech Republic Václav Gvoždík --- , Czech RepublicIn the central Congolian lowland forests we discovered for the first time Panaspis breviceps, a rarely found scincid lizard from the Central African riparian forests. Given that the Central African forests exhibit heterogeneity in the distribution of environmental characteristics and... -
Tropidosaura essexi Hewitt, 1927 (Reptilia: Lacertidae) is live bearing: the only viviparous African lacertid
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Gary K Nicolau --- Rhodes University, South Africa Emily A Jackson --- Rhodes University, South Africa Adriaan Jordaan --- University of the Western Cape, South Africa Graham J Alexander --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaViviparity has evolved independently multiple times within squamate reptiles. In the Lacertidae, two genera and several species from the Northern Hemisphere are known to be viviparous. However, although viviparity is present in many African reptiles, all African lacertids were considered... -
Interspecific aggression in flat lizards suggests poor species recognition
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa • Authors: Pius Korner --- ETH‐Zentrum NW, Switzerland MartinJ. Whiting --- University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa J. Willem --- University of Pretoria, South Africa H. Ferguson --- University of Pretoria, South AfricaMistaken identity and competitive exclusion are two alternative hypotheses proposed to explain interspecific aggression between males. We examined agonistic behaviour in males of two lizard species: Platysaurus minor and P. monotropis. In each of nine outdoor field enclosures, we maintained... -
Activity area, movement patterns, and habitat use of the desert monitor, varanus griseus, in the zaranik protected area, north Sinai, Egypt
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: AdelA. Ibrahim --- Faculty of Education at Al‐Arish, EgyptA radio telemetry study of the desert monitor, Varanus griseus was conducted from July 1997 to June 1998 in the Zaranik Protected Area, North Sinai, Egypt. Five monitor lizards (SVL range 302 ‐ 360 mm) were equipped with SI‐2T temperature... -
Intergroup‐movement in a group‐living lizard, Cordylus cataphractus, from South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Louise Visagie --- University of Stellenbosch, South Africa P. le FrasN. Mouton --- University of Stellenbosch, South Africa AlexanderF. Flemming --- University of Stellenbosch, South Africa -
The comparative diet of three Saharan sand dune skinks
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa • Authors: Omar Attum --- University of Louisville, Charles Covell --- University of Louisville, Perri Eason --- University of Louisville,We compared the diets of the only three sand dune skinks of North Sinai, Chalcides ocellatus, Scincus scincus, and Sphenops sepsoides. Despite our small sample size, we found several interesting trends. Coleoptera was the most common prey order eaten by... -
Karyotypes of two species of Malagasy ground gecko (Paroedura: Gekkonidae)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Hana Main --- University of Minnesota, USA DanielP. Scantlebury --- University of Rochester, USA David Zarkower --- University of Minnesota, USA Tony Gamble --- University of Minnesota, USAThe karyotypes of Malagasy geckos are poorly known. Herein, we describe the karyotypes of two Malagasy gecko species, Paroedura picta and an undescribed or currently unrecognised Paroedura species. These are the first karyotypes described for the genus Paroedura. Each species... -
A molecular phylogeny for sub-Saharan amphisbaenians
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: G. John Measey --- , , South Africa Krystal A. Tolley --- , , South AfricaAmphisbaenians are enigmatic members of the subterranean herpetofauna with the majority of their diversity concentrated in South America and Africa. The largest family, Amphisbaenidae, occurs in South America and Africa, but the phylogenetic relationships among the genera are not clearly... -
Multiple paternity and sperm storage in the Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Krystal A. Tolley --- , , South Africa Lucas F. Chauke --- , , South Africa Jennifer C. Jackson --- , , South Africa Kevin A. Feldheim --- , , USAAlthough multiple paternity and sperm storage are common in squamates, neither has been conclusively demonstrated in the chameleons (Chamaeleonidae). To examine whether these traits are present in chameleons, the Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum) was investigated. This viviparous species inhabits... -
The effects of temperature on oxygen consumption in the lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus from Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Suzanne McConnachie --- , , South AfricaIn reptiles, metabolic rate (MR) is affected by many different factors, including temperature, sex, body size and digestive state. Standard MR was measured for the lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus over a range of temperatures (20, 22, 25, 30 and 32°C). I... -
A targeted survey for the Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink Scelotes inornatus (Smith 1849) at Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with notes on sympatric herpetofauna
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: AJ Armstrong --- Biodiversity Research & Assessment, South Africa PR Jordaan --- African Ecological Conservation Projects, South AfricaA survey for the Critically Endangered Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink Scelotes inornatus (Smith 1849) was conducted in two protected areas in Durban, South Africa, in August and September 2021. Twelve sites, each encompassing a combination of vegetation type, elevation, slope... -
Two new species of Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the coastal areas of northern Somaliland
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Tomáš Mazuch --- Mendel University, Czech Republic Vojtěch Janák --- Charles University, Czech Republic Doubravka Velenská --- Charles University, Czech Republic Annamaria Nistri --- Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Univesità degli Studi di Firenze, Italy Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi --- Charles University, Czech Republic Jiří Šmíd --- Charles University, Czech RepublicThe taxonomy of many Hemidactylus geckos from the Horn of Africa has recently been evaluated. However, the lack of fresh material for some species and also regions has led to the misidentification of some taxa and an underestimation of the...