Tropidosaura cottrelli

Tropidosaura cottrelli
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Tropidosaura
Species:	T. cottrelli
Binomial name
	Tropidosaura cottrelli; (Hewitt, 1925)
Synonyms
	Basutosaura cottrelli ; Hewitt, 1925; Tropidosaura cottrelli ; — V. FitzSimons, 1943;

Tropidosaura cottrelli, also known commonly as Cottrell's mountain lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, cottrelli, is in honor of South African ornithologist John Awdry Cottrell, who collected the holotype.^[3]

Geographic range

T. cottrelli is found in Lesotho and South Africa.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of T. cottrelli is grassland, at altitudes of 2,500–3,300 m (8,200–10,800 ft).^[1]

Description

T. cottrelli is large for its genus. Adults have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 5.5–6.5 cm (2.2–2.6 in).^[4]

Reproduction

T. cottrelli is oviparous.^[2] An adult female may lay as many as four eggs.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Cunningham, M.J.; Tolley, K.A.; Bates, M.F.; Turner, A.A. (2018). "Tropidosaura cottrelli ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T178302A115659840. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T178302A115659840.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Tropidosaura cottrelli at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 22 May 2019.
^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Tropidosaura cottrelli, p. 60).
^ ^a ^b Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Tropidosaura cottrelli, p. 175 + Plate 62).