NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Spotted Flat Lizard
Platysaurus maculatus Broadley, 1965
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The spotted flat lizard (Platysaurus maculatus) is a lizard in the Cordylidae family, which is native to Mozambique.
The spotted flat lizard has two subspecies, P. m. maculatus and P. m. linecauda. Both were described in 1965.
The species is known as the spotted flat lizard because they use narrow cracks in flat rocks to hide and retreat from predators.
Wikipedia contributors, Spotted flat lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:27:10.977910+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Platysaurus maculatus Broadley, 1965
- Name authority
- Broadley, 1965
- Common name
- Spotted 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 maculatus Broadley, 1965
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Attenborough’s Flat LizardPlatysaurus attenboroughi Whiting, Branch, Pepper & Keogh, 2015 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| 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 |
| 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.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Platysaurus&species=maculatus 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:4JY4V. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.