CordyliDARE
An Open-Access Data Repository for Cordylid Lizards
Cordyline lizards (Squamata: Cordylinae) are a remarkable group of girdled lizards endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa (Stanley et al., 2011). Despite being a relatively small radiation with only 53 currently described species, they have successfully colonized a wide range of habitats, from coastal lowlands and mountain peaks to arid deserts and subtropical regions (Broeckhoven et al., 2018). Their exceptional traits—among them extensive variation in body armour, viviparity, melanism, social behaviours such as group-living and a rock-dwelling lifestyle (Mouton & Van Wyk, 1997)—make them valuable models for evolutionary and ecological studies, and they have recently attracted attention in bioinspiration research for their potential in material science and engineering (Broeckhoven et al., 2017; Su et al., 2024).
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Despite their ecological and scientific importance, comprehensive data on cordyline lizard morphology, genetics, and ecology remain scarce. This gap limits the development of research questions in ecology and evolution, hampers effective conservation planning for vulnerable species, and restricts their potential for bioinspired applications. CordyliDARE—the CORDYLIne DAta REpository—aims to address these gaps by creating one of the most extensive datasets of cordyline lizards to date, covering multiple populations across South Africa.
Specifically, CordyliDARE will collect:
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Phenotypic data, including comprehensive morphometrics, high-resolution three-dimensional data from micro-computed tomography scans, and colour-calibrated photographs.
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Genetic data, generated using multiple markers—including mitochondrial and nuclear genes—and forming a DNA library for future research.
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Ecological data, combining microhabitat characterization via high-resolution drone imagery with dietary analyses using stable isotope methods.
All data collected through CordyliDARE will be deposited in open-access repositories, freely available to researchers worldwide.
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