NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cape Rough-scaled Lizard
Ichnotropis capensis (Smith, 1838)
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
Ichnotropis capensis is a species of African lizard, which is native to the southern Afrotropics. It is the type species for the genus Ichnotropis, and is commonly called the Cape rough-scaled lizard due to them being found in southern Africa's Cape region. They are also called ornate rough-scaled lizard or Smith's rough-scaled sand lizard. The small lizards are terrestrial and occur in grassland, desert and brush areas of southern Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Ichnotropis capensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:49:35.345382+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ichnotropis capensis (Smith, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Smith, 1838)
- Common name
- Cape Rough-scaled Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Lacertidae
- Genus
- Ichnotropis
- 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
- familyLacertidae
- genusIchnotropis
- speciesIchnotropis capensis (Smith, 1838)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ichnotropis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Angolan rough-scaled lizardIchnotropis bivittata Bocage, 1866 | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Caprivi Rough-scaled LizardIchnotropis grandiceps Broadley, 1967 | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ichnotropis chapini Schmidt, 1919 | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tanzanian rough-scaled lizardIchnotropis tanganicana Boulenger, 1917 | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Marx's Rough-scaled LizardIchnotropis microlepidota Marx, 1956 | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tropidosaura dumerelii Smith, 1849 Smith, 1849 | synonym |
| Algyra capensis Smith, 1838 Smith, 1838 | synonym |
| Ichnotropis longipes Boulenger, 1902 Boulenger, 1902 | synonym |
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=Ichnotropis&species=capensis 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:6N3ZP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.