This article was taken from: "The lizards of South Africa." by Vivian F. Fitzsimons, Transvaal museum, Pretoria, Memoirs No. 1, july 1943, page 450 - 452.
Cordylus tropidosternum,Cope
Description: Head feebly depressed, about twice as long as deep, longer than broad (about 1 1/3 times); upper head shields strongly rugose with vermiculate striae.Fronto- nasal longer than broad, usually in contact with rostral separating nasals or sometimes separated by a short suture of nasals, well seperated on sides from loreal. Nasals not swollen, nostril pierced in inferno-posterior part and directed outwards and slightly forwards. Prefrontals in contact or seperated by suture between frontal and frontonasal. Frontal hexagonal or subhexagonal, longer than broad, a little broader in front than behind, usually concave laterally. Frontparietals as broad as long. Interparietal between two pairs of parietals, small and rhomboidal, or often produced anteriorly forming contact with frontopareitals, and thus completely separating anterior pareitals, which are smaller posterior. Temporals rugose with vermiculate ridges, arranged in 4 - 6 series. A row of six moderate occipitals, without spines. 4 Supraoculars and 3 supraciliaries. A loreal and preocular, latter much larger than former. Two suboculars, usually not reaching lip. Rostral pentagonal, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 times as broad as deep. Upper labials 6, last 2 - 3 keeled, 5th largest. Methal large subtriangular. Six lower labials, last 3 keeled, 5th smallest; a few flattened polygonal chin-shields anteriorly. Gular scales subquadrangular, imbricate, keeled, smallest anteriorly, enlarging behind and towards sides, where thay become strongly keeled and mucronate; scales on side of neck keeled and spinose. Dorsal scales large, quadrangular, subimbricate, more or less strongly keeled and ribbed, shortly mucronate finely serrated, arranged in 24 - 27 regular transverse series, with 18 - 20 scales in a row across middle of body between the well marked lateral folds; laterally, scales diminish progressively in size inferiorly, are subquadrangular and rounded, strongly keeled and mucronate or spinose, with granular interspaces. Ventrals quadrangular, smooth, imbricate, as broad as long or a little broader than long messially, longer than broad towards the sides,where 2 - 3 outer rows are feebly keeled and mucronate, arranged in 23 - 28 regular transverse and 12 or 14 longitudinal rows. A pair of enlarged preanal plates. Limbs covered above, with large, imbricate, keeled, spinose and often serrate scales; below, feebly keeled. femoral pores in males, 6 - 8 on each side, with a patch of modified glandular swollen scales anterior thereto. Limbs short and sturdy; 13 - 14 scales under the 4th toe. tail with regular whorls of large, strongly keeled, striated, spinose serrated scales, spines largest laterally; below scales elongate and narrow, moderately keeled, non-striate, mucronate.
Colour: Above, greyish-brown to dark browm, with a distinct or feebly marked pale dirty yellowish dorsolateral band from back of head over back and on to tail; scattered pale and dark spots on head and down middle of back, may be present or absent; usually a very dark brown to blackish lateral band from behind nostril through eye over ear-opening to groin; upper lip and side of head inferior to dark lateral band, straw yellow. Below, uniform straw yellow, oor belly and under side tail greyish-white; femoral pores and modified scales in males, yellow.
Dimensions: Male;(T.M. 18731- Birchenough Bridge), H. & B. 86, tail 74 mm, length head 24,2 mm, breadth head 19,5 mm, depth head 12,2 mm, forelimb 26 mm, hindlimb 36 mm. Female;(T.M. 18732- Birchenough Bridge), H. & B. 88, tail 72 mm, length head 23,5 mm, bradth head 19 mm, depth head 12 mm, forelimb 26,8 mm, hindlimb 35,5.
Field notes: Particulary fond of living in the holes and hollows of trees int owhich they disappear when alarmed. Wholly insectivorous, with a partiality for termites. Usually about four young are produced at a time.
Distribution: East Africa from Kenya southwards to south eastern Rhodesia.