NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mecula Girdled Lizard
Cordylus meculae Branch, Rödel & Marais, 2005
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
Cordylus meculae, the Mecula girdled lizard, is a third species from the Rhodesian girdled lizard complex, and was described from Mount Mecula in northern Mozambique. It lives in granite outcrops of montane grasslands and dry miombo woodland. The nostril pierces the center of the nasal scale and the head shields are rugose. The dorsal coloration is dark brown with paler infusions on the flanks. The head is almost black with yellow lips and scattered yellow flecks on the head and neck. The belly is buff colored.
Wikipedia contributors, Cordylus meculae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:33:13.491304+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cordylus meculae Branch, Rödel & Marais, 2005
- Name authority
- Branch, Rödel & Marais, 2005
- Common name
- Mecula Girdled Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Cordylidae
- Genus
- Cordylus
- 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
- genusCordylus
- speciesCordylus meculae Branch, Rödel & Marais, 2005
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cordylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Kaokoveld Girdled LizardCordylus namakuiyus Stanley, Ceríaco, Bandeira, Valerio, Bates & Branch, 2016 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mombolo girdled lizardCordylus momboloensis Bates, Lobón-Rovira, Stanley, Branch & Vaz-Pinto, 2023 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Angolan Girdled LizardCordylus angolensis (Bocage, 1895) | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Maasai Girdled LizardCordylus beraduccii Broadley & Branch, 2002 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cape Girdled LizardCordylus cordylus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rooiberg Girdled LizardCordylus imkeae Mouton & Van Wyk, 1994 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Large-scaled Girdled LizardCordylus macropholis (Boulenger, 1910) | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Marungu Girdled LizardCordylus marunguensis Greenbaum, Stanley, Kusamba, Moninga, Goldberg & Bursey, 2012 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| McLachlan’s Girdled LizardCordylus mclachlani Mouton, 1986 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cloete’s Girdled Lizard [cloetei]Cordylus minor Fitzsimons, 1943 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oelofsen’s Girdled LizardCordylus oelofseni Mouton & Van Wyk, 1990 | CordylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zimbabwean Girdled LizardCordylus rhodesianus (Hewitt, 1933) | 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.
- BRANCH, WILLIAM R.; MARK-OLIVER RÖDEL AND JOHAN MARAIS. (2005). A new species of rupicolous Cordylus Laurenti 1768 (Sauria: Cordylidae) from Northern Mozambique. African Journal of Herpetology 54 (2): 131-138. 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:YD68. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.