Pseudocordylus melanotus


P.m. melanotus(green)	P.m. subviridis, male(red)


P.m. subviridis, male(red)	P.m. subviridis, female(red)

A medium-sized crag lizard that has the scales on its flanks separated by granular interspaces. There is usually a single row of 4-6 elongate temporal scales. The nasals are in contact, separating the rostral and the frontonasal, which is undivided and touches the anterior loreals. There are usually three upper labials anterior to the subocular, and six lower labials.Occipitals number up to 13, but may be absent. There ar 5-13 femoral scales (but these are undeveloped in P.m. melanotus females). Coloration is complicated; regional differences occur and breeding males are more colourful (see Subspecies) and also develop bigger heads. In females, the back is greyish to olive-brown, with extensive, irregular pale spots. The sides of the head, neck and body are yellowish-green, yellow or orange, often with dark dorsal coloration extending as bars onto the flanks. There are 1-2 black spots on the side of the neck. The belly is off-white, suffused with pale orange at the edges. Biology and breeding: Found in large diffuse colonies in suitable habitat, but rarely with more than a single dominant male in a rock crack. Out of the breeding season individuals may share cracks. They are ambush predators, sitting on a vantage point looking for prey. They feed on small beetles and flying insects, and berries in season. One to six babies (46-48 mm SVL, 2-3 g) are born in December-January, after a three- to four-month gestation period. Habitat: Rock outcrops on mountain plateaus and in rolling grassland. Range: Escarpment mountains from Amatola Mountains to Gauleng and Mpumalanga escarpment, extending on to NE Free State highveld and N KwaZulu-Natal. Subspecies: Two races, both occur in the region. P.m. melanotus (green) has a divided frontonasal; femoral pores in females are only shallow pits. Breeding males have 1-17 glandular femoral scales; a broad dark brown to black band on the back (sometimes with small, pale flecks); bright orange on the flanks and sides of the neck; a red-brown temporal region; and a diffuse blue-grey patch on the throat. This larger northern race extends from Gauteng and Mpumalanga excarpment east to N KwaZulu-Natal and north to NE Free State. P.m. subviridis (red) does not exceed SVL 118 mm, has an individed frontonasal, and the lateral scales are larger than the spaces between them. Females have well-developed femoral pores. Breeding males have a black, with numerous large pale olive-grey blotches; an olivegrey head and temporal region; and their flanks and sides of their tails are heavily suffused with black and orange. This race is found from Mont-aux-Sources,through Lesoto and Transkei (E. Cape) underberg, with an isolated population on Amatola Mountains in E. Cape.