All four species of mountain lizard are fairly similar, and most have small ranges. They are fairly shy and difficult to catch. All lack a collar but have a gular fold, are somewhat cylindrical in shape and have rough overlapping scales. The following details for this genus were all taken from Branch.
| Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
| Tropidosaura |
| T. cottrelli |
Cottrell's Mountain Lizard |
South Africa, Lesotho (Drakensberg) |
7-8"? |
T. cottrelli is found among grass and heather within its range. For shelter it dugs a tunnel in deep soil. Scalation details (from Branch): Subocular borders lip. 1st upper labial separated from nostril. Neck scales small, smooth and granular. Dorsal scales: large, spiny and overlapping. Gular fold: well developed. Femoral pores: 11: two large preanal plates. Coloration: varies between Cape and Natal specimens. Cape specimens are overall brown with scattered black and orange scales, a lateral row of yellow or yellow-tipped scales, and a black yellow-edged stripe running from the neck to the lips. Tail is olive-brown with scattered dark brown scales and bluish-white below. The belly is bluish with large dark blotches on the scales. Natal specimens are overall brown-black with numerous blue and green spots that posteriorly form crossbands on the body and tail. Flanks are pale blue with a black stripe. Reproduction: no details yet available. |
| T. essexi |
Essex's Mountain Lizard |
South Africa (SW Natal), NE Lesotho |
6"? |
Shy lizard similar in appearance to T. montana. It lives in rocky mountain grassland, where it is found among thick vegetation along streams or at the base of rock faces. Scalation details (from Branch): Subocular borders lip. Neck scales small, smooth and granular. Dorsal scales: large, rhomboid, spiny and overlapping. Gular fold: well developed. Femoral pores: 7-11: single large preanal plate. Coloration: overall olive to olive-green with a single pale-edged dark vertebral stripe. Flanks have dark-edged dorsolateral and lateral stripes. Head is bluish-green, spotted with brown. Ventrally blue, usually with dark edges to the scales. Tail is blue-green. Reproduction: female lays 2 eggs in summer. |
| T. gularis |
Cape Mountain Lizard |
South Africa (southern Cape province, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth) |
6-7"? |
T. gularis is confined to fynbos-covered mountain summits on the Cape Fold mountains. They climb among boulders and rocks to pursue their prey, which somewhat unusually includes bees (as well as flies) that are attracted to the flowers around them. Scalation details (from Branch): Subocular borders lip. 1st upper labial enters nostril. Neck scales small, smooth and granular. Dorsal scales: large, spiny and overlapping. Gular fold: well developed. Femoral pores: 9-12: two large preanal plates. Coloration: overall dark- to olive-brown, usually with a pale olive-brown dorsal stripe: the scales are black-edged, giving a speckled appearance. Flanks have two lateral yellow-white stripes that may be faint or broken up into spots, with a row of yellow spots below. The tail is blue-grey in juveniles and females and pale olive with black flecks in adult males. Reproduction: in the breeding season, males become more pronounced in colour: the dorsal stripe becomes bright green, the yellow flank spots bright orange, and the head black with yellow spots. The female lays 4-8 eggs in November in a small chamber under a rock. |
| T. montani |
Common Mountain Lizard |
South Africa (S & /SW Cape province, S Natal, E Cape province) |
5½-7"? |
T. montani is a smallish species with a long tail. By nature it is secretive and tends to be most active in the early morning or late afternoon. They are found on fynbos and montane grassland, where they often bask on vegetation. Diet is small insects. Scalation details (from Branch): Subocular borders lip. Neck scales keeled. Dorsal scales: large, spiny and overlapping. Gular fold: faint. Femoral pores: 5-8, dependent upon subspecies: single large preanal plate. Coloration: overall dark- to olive-brown, with a dark vertebral streak and greenish-white to yellowish dorsolateral stripe. Broken white stripe runs from upper lip onto flank: below this is a series of large pale yellow spots. Ventrum is greenish-white, often with large dark spots: these spots are also present on the underside of the tail. Reproduction: in the breeding season the yellow spots near the upper lip become orange and the tail becomes blue-green. The female lays 4-5 eggs in November which take about 33-34 days to hatch. |
| T. m. montana |
S & W Cape |
6"? |
7-8 femoral pores. |
| T. m. natalensis |
Kwa-Zulu-Natal Drakensburg foothills & adj. midlands (Branch) |
6"? |
Comparatively longish head and frontal scale: 5 femoral pores. |
| T. m. rangeri |
E Cape |
6"? |
Gular fold usually absent: 5-6 femoral pores. |