Adaptive radiation in cordyliform lizards: An overview

Mouton, P. le Fras N.; Wyk, J.H. van

doi:10.1080/21564574.1997.9649981

Cited by 40 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…If ambush foraging and the absence of prey chemical discrimination in cordylids prove to be conservative within the family (Cooper 1994), it may indicate that prey chemical discrimination was lost in cordylids with the switch from the widely foraging strategy and prey chemical discrimination, reported in Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus (Cooper 1992), to the ambush strategy in cordylids during the evolution of the Cordylidae from a gerrhosaurid ancestor (Mouton & Van Wyk 1997). Marais (1984) states that C. giganteus can also be regarded as carnivorous, since they will feed on rodents and seize any creature that can be overpowered in captivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Foraging modes are characterized by measuring two variables: the number of movements per minute (MPM) and percentage time spent moving (PTM) (Perry 1995;Cooper et al 1997). In light of reports that members of the Family Cordylidae are ambush foragers (Branch 1988;Cooper 1994;Cooper & Van Wyk 1994;Cooper et al 1997;Mouton & Van Wyk 1997), information on the dietary composition of C. giganteus will put the implicit predictions made by the feeding strategy models (ambush vs widely foraging, see Huey & Pianka 1977) to the test.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation in stomach contents and diet composition in the large girdled lizard,Cordylus giganteus(Reptilia: Cordylidae) in the Highveld grasslands of the northeastern Free State, South Africa

Wyk¹

2000

African Zoology

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Cordylus giganteus is endemic to the Highveld grasslands of South Africa. Owing to limited distribution and extensive habitat destruction, it may be regarded as an endangered species. C. giganteus individuals fed during eight months of the year. The mass of food in the stomachs and remains in the hind guts indicated that a high degree of foraging success occurred during the warm spring and summer months in association with seasonal variation in resource abundance. Analysis of the contents of 480 stomachs revealed that the diet of C. giganteus in the study area consisted almost exclusively of arthropods, with six of the major taxa (Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and Lepidoptera) accounting for 80 % of the total number and 90 % of the gravimetric contribution of ingested food by the different age and sex groups. Coleoptera dominated as prey category throughout the seasons. The consistency of the main food categories in spring, summer and autumn suggest that prey selection took place, and that C. giganteus is opportunistic only in the sense of taking other prey taxa when they are present in greater abundance. All the major prey types in the diet showed negative relationships between relative abundance and selectivity, indicating that C. giganteus preferred a prey type more when it was relatively less abundant in the environment. Measurement of dietary overlap for prey taxa indicated a high degree of dietary similarity for all age and sex classes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variation in stomach contents and diet composition in the large girdled lizard,Cordylus giganteus(Reptilia: Cordylidae) in the Highveld grasslands of the northeastern Free State, South Africa

Wyk¹

2000

African Zoology

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“…Gerrhosauridae is the sister group of the exclusively African girdle-tailed lizards (family Cordylidae) and both families together comprise the unranked clade Cordyliformes (Lang, 1991;Mouton and Van Wyk, 1997;Frost et al, 2001;Lamb et al, 2003;Townsend et al, 2004;Conrad, 2008). Crown-group cordyliforms are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, though fossils related to these lizards have been recovered from Asia and Europe (Conrad, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Multi-gene phylogeny of Madagascar’s plated lizards, Zonosaurus and Tracheloptychus (Squamata: Gerrhosauridae)

Recknagel

Noonan

Raselimanana

et al. 2013

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of the Malagasy plated lizards in the family Gerrhosauridae based on DNA sequence fragments of four mitochondrial and five nuclear genes. Various clades were strongly supported by the concatenated data set and also recovered by separate analyses of mtDNA and nucDNA. In particular, two clades here named the Z. rufipes group (containing Z. bemaraha , Z. brygooi , Z. rufipes , Z. subunicolor , Z. tsingy and an undescribed candidate species from northern Madagascar) and the Z. ornatus group (containing Z. anelanelany , Z. laticaudatus , Z. karsteni , Z. ornatus , Z. quadrilineaus, and Z. trilineatus) were resolved with strong support. A third clade named the Z. madagascariensis group contains Z. madagascariensis with a nested Z. haraldmeieri; the status of that species requires further investigation. Tentatively we also include Z. aeneus in this species group although its phylogenetic relationships were poorly resolved. A fourth clade with less support included Z. boettgeri and Z. maximus. The phylogenetic position of the genus Tracheloptychus remains uncertain: whereas in the species tree it was recovered as the sister group to Zonosaurus, other methods indicated that it was nested within Zonosaurus, albeit alternative topologies were rejected with only marginal statistical support.

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“…Whereas several researchers agree on the monophyly of cordyliformes and their relationships with Scincidae (Rieppel, 1980;Estes et al, 1988;Lang, 1991;Miehle and Bauer, 1993;Mouton and van Wyik, 1997), there is some controversy on whether Cordylidae and Gerrhosauridae should be placed in a single (McDowell and Bogert, 1954;Romer, 1956;Underwood, 1957;Wermuth, 1968) or in separate (Hoffstetter, 1962;Lang, 1991;Mouton and van Wyik, 1997) families.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

A Phylogenetic Analysis of Cordyliformes (Reptilia: Squamata): Comparison of Molecular and Karyological Data

Odierna

Canapa

Andreone

et al. 2002

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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Adaptive radiation in cordyliform lizards: An overview

Cited by 40 publications

References 67 publications

Seasonal variation in stomach contents and diet composition in the large girdled lizard,Cordylus giganteus(Reptilia: Cordylidae) in the Highveld grasslands of the northeastern Free State, South Africa

Seasonal variation in stomach contents and diet composition in the large girdled lizard,Cordylus giganteus(Reptilia: Cordylidae) in the Highveld grasslands of the northeastern Free State, South Africa

Multi-gene phylogeny of Madagascar’s plated lizards, Zonosaurus and Tracheloptychus (Squamata: Gerrhosauridae)

A Phylogenetic Analysis of Cordyliformes (Reptilia: Squamata): Comparison of Molecular and Karyological Data

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