NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Attenborough’s Flat Lizard
Platysaurus attenboroughi Whiting, Branch, Pepper & Keogh, 2015
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Platysaurus attenboroughi Whiting, Branch, Pepper & Keogh, 2015
- Name authority
- Whiting, Branch, Pepper & Keogh, 2015
- Common name
- Attenborough’s Flat Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Cordylidae
- Genus
- Platysaurus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyCordylidae
- genusPlatysaurus
- speciesPlatysaurus attenboroughi Whiting, Branch, Pepper & Keogh, 2015
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Platysaurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Flat LizardPlatysaurus capensis Smith, 1844 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dwarf Flat LizardPlatysaurus guttatus Smith, 1849 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Emperor Flat LizardPlatysaurus imperator Broadley, 1962 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Platysaurus intermedius Matschie, 1891 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spotted Flat LizardPlatysaurus maculatus Broadley, 1965 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Waterberg Flat LizardPlatysaurus minor Fitzsimons, 1930 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mitchell's Flat LizardPlatysaurus mitchelli Loveridge, 1953 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orange-throated Flat LizardPlatysaurus monotropis Jacobsen, 1994 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Soutpansberg Flat LizardPlatysaurus relictus Broadley, 1976 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Augrabies Flat LizardPlatysaurus broadleyi Branch & Whiting, 1997 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chimanimani Flat LizardPlatysaurus ocellatus Broadley, 1962 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Platysaurus orientalis Fitzsimons, 1941 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- WHITING, MARTIN J.; WILLIAM R. BRANCH, MITZY PEPPER & J. SCOTT KEOGH. (2015). A new species of spectacularly coloured flat lizard Platysaurus (Squamata: Cordylidae: Platysaurinae) from southern Africa. Zootaxa 3986 (2): 173–192. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4JY4K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.