This is another genus of lacertids leading unusually short lives: some species produce hatchlings that sexually mature within 5-8 months and die shortly after laying one or sometimes two clutches of eggs. Branch notes that in areas where the species I. capensis and I. squamulosa occur together, the life cycles of the two are staggered so that there is less competition for food. Ichnotropis lizards are distinguished by their rough head shields, large keeled overlapping scales on the back and lack of a lacertid "collar". They are also long-tailed. The lamellae beneath the toes are strongly keeled, and femoral pores are present. All are terrestrial savannah dwellers. The short lives of these lizards would seem to make them poor candidates for captivity.
| Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
| Ichnotropis |
| Ichnotropis bivittatus |
Angolan Rough-Scaled Lizard |
S Tanzania, S Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Angola, Zambia |
9-10" |
Slender and strikingly-coloured lacertid found in sandy open areas and sometimes woodlands. It is longer-lived than the "annual" Ichnotropis species. These lizards are active during the warmest part of the day [SKDA]. Scalation details (from SKDA): Frontonasal undivided. Prefrontal separated from supraciliaries by 1-2 rows of small scales. Subocular borders lip. Head shields strongly striated or keeled. Dorsal scales: enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled and overlapping, 34-40 rows at mid-body. Ventral scales : rounded, hexagonal, 8-10 longitudinal and 27-33 transverse rows. Other: 9-13 femoral pores: 18-24 lamellae below 4th toe. Coloration: fairly complicated, but dorsally brown to reddish, with alternating lateral narrow pale and broad coloured stripes, including a dorsoventral bright orange-red one between the limbs in breeding males. See SKDA for more details. Reproduction: no details yet available. |
| I. b. bivittatus |
| I. b. pallida |
| I. capensis |
Cape Rough-Scaled Lizard |
Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Republic of South Africa, N & S Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire): poss. Tanzania |
4-6"? |
Short-lived (usually only 13-14 months) and narrow-headed lizard found in arid and mesic savannah. Branch casts doubt on the validity of the subspecies. Scalation details: 4 upper labials precede subocular which borders lip. Dorsal scales: large, strongly keeled and overlapping, 28-43 at midbody. Femoral pores: 9-14 on each side. |
| I. c. capensis |
| I. c. nigrescens |
| I. chapini |
? |
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) |
|
No data yet available. |
| I. grandiceps |
Caprivi Rough-Scaled Lizard |
Botswana, |
7-8"? |
This appears to be one of the longer-lived Ichnotropis species, as both adults and juveniles have been collected together [Branch]. It is sympatric with the species I. capensis and I. squamulosa, but is rare and hard to find. It occurs in open woodland on hard limy soils or white sand [Branch]. Scalation details (from Branch): Frontonasal undivided. Subocular does not reach lip. Dorsal scales: strongly keeled, overlapping, 44-47 rows at mid-body. Other: 13 femoral pores. Coloration: overall pale grey-brown. Sides of head and ventrolateral sides are white stippled with grey. A dark broken dorsolateral band may be present, faint or absent: it extends from the neck to the groin and breaks up into a series of spots on the tail. Ventrally white. Reproduction: No details available. |
| I. microlepidota |
Marx's Rough-Scaled lizard |
Angola |
?" |
No data yet available. |
| I. squamulosa |
(Common)/ Mozambique Rough-Scaled (Sand) Lizard |
Tanzania, Zambia, S Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, N South Africa, Malawi |
9" |
One of the larger species of the genus, and widely distributed. Although found in a variety of woodland habitats, these lizards prefer open clearings where they are active during the day. Diet is insectivorous, with termites especially favoured [Branch]. An interesting feature of the ecology of I. squamulosa is the sharing by several individuals of a branching burrow system, often dug beneath the base of a tree [SKDA]. The life of I. squamulosa is effectively less than two years (see Reproduction). Scalation details (from SKDA): Frontonasal divided longitudinally. Prefrontal separated from supraciliaries by 1-2 rows of small scales. Subocular does not reach lip. Supraoculars and supraciliaries separated by row of small scales. Head shields large. Most distinctive feature is concavity along the upper snout, bordered by two strong elongated keels. Another keel occurs beneath the eye. Dorsal scales: bluntly pointed, strongly keeled and overlapping, 46-58 [42-58 per Branch] rows at mid-body. Ventral scales : rounded, hexagonal, 10-12 longitudinal and 28-34 transverse rows. Other: 13-15 [11-18 per Branch] femoral pores: 18-20 lamellae below 4th toe. Coloration: overall sandy-brown with 2-5 longitudinal rows of whitish black-edged spots on each side. Some adults have a pair of thin dorsolateral beige stripes running from the occipital scales to the tailbase. Ventrally white to grey [Branch]. Juveniles usually have two whitish streaks on each side. Reproduction: Females lay 8-12 eggs, and die after laying 1-2 clutches. Sexual maturity is reached within 4-5 months. In southern Africa the eggs are laid in April-May but sometimes as late as July: the hatchlings do not appear until October-November owing to the cold temperatures of the winter. Those adults which mated in April-May die off between July and October of the following year [Branch]. |
| I. tanganicana |
Tanzanian Rough-Scaled Lizard |
Tanzania (restricted to eastern bank of Lake Tanganyika) |
[See Notes] |
Known only from a single species described by G A Boulenger about a century ago: this was missing the tail and was possibly a subadult: somewhat similar to I. bivittatus [SKDA]. Scalation details (from SKDA): Frontonasal undivided. Prefrontal separated from supraciliaries by 1-2 rows of small scales. Subocular borders lip. Prefrontal contacts supraciliaries. Head shields weakly striated or keeled. Dorsal scales: enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled and overlapping, 36 rows at mid-body. Ventral scales : rounded, hexagonal, 8 longitudinal and 25 transverse rows. Other: 11-12 femoral pores: 19 lamellae below 4th toe. |