biology

Limpopo girdled lizard

Limpopo girdled lizard is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Limpopo girdled lizard rather than just read about it. In short: The Limpopo girdled lizard (Cordylus jonesii), also known commonly as Jones's armadillo lizard and Jones's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is indigenous to Southern Africa.

Key takeaways

Limpopo girdled lizard belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Limpopo girdled lizard to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Limpopo girdled lizard from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Limpopo girdled lizard (Cordylus jonesii), also known commonly as Jones's armadillo lizard and Jones's girdled lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is indigenous to Southern Africa.

Etymology The specific name, jonesii, is in honor of a "Mr. C. R. Jones" who collected the holotype. The common name, Limpopo girdled lizard, refers to the type locality, which is the Murchison Range in Limpopo.

Geographic distribution Cordylus jonesii is found on both sides of South Africa's border with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Habitat and behavior The Limpopo girdled lizard is arboreal and inhabits dry forests, especially mopane woodland, where it hides under loose bark and in hollow tree limbs.

Diet Cordylus jonesii preys upon winged termites, ants, and moths.

Reproduction Cordylus jonesii is ovoviviparous. Litter size is usually two young, but may be as many as four.

Description The dorsal pattern of Cordylus jonesii varies from red to brown to gray, with dark spots or lines. On some individuals, the lines fuse into a black-bordered white stripe along the midline of the back. The Limpopo girdled lizard has a distinct dark dorsolateral stripe running from the head to the hips. The belly, throat, and lips are cream to yellow. The tail is very spiny and about 45% the total length of the animal. Adults usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.0–7.5 cm (2.4–3.0 in).

Taxonomy The Limpopo girdled lizard is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum). When both species are held together, the Limpopo girdled lizard has a noticeably shorter snout. In C. jonesii the nostril pierces the center of the nasal scale (the lower posterior corner of the nasal in C. tropidosternum). All of the ventral scales on the throat and belly of C. jonesii are smooth instead of keeled. C. jonesii is exported from Mozambique for the pet trade, where it is often mislabeled as Cordylus vittifer.

References

Further reading Boulenger GA (1891). "Description of a new Lizard of the Genus Zonurus from the Transvaal". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 7: 417. (Zonurus jonesii, new species). Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Cordylus tropidosternum jonesi, p. 195 + Plate 66). Broadley DG, Branch WR (2002). "A review of the small east African Cordylus (Sauria: Cordylidae), with the description of a new species". African Journal of Herpetology 51 (1): 9–34.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Limpopo girdled lizard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Limpopo girdled lizard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Limpopo girdled lizard before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Limpopo girdled lizard ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Limpopo girdled lizard

In research: Limpopo girdled lizard appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Limpopo girdled lizard in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Limpopo girdled lizard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cordylus, IUCN Red List least concern species, Lizard stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Limpopo girdled lizard outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Limpopo girdled lizard in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Limpopo girdled lizard means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Limpopo girdled lizard in simple terms?

Why does Limpopo girdled lizard matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Limpopo girdled lizard?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Limpopo girdled lizard.