Agasthyagama

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Agasthyagama
Otocryptis beddomii.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Agasthyagama
Srikanthan, Adhikari, Ganesh, Deuti, Das, Kulkarni, Gowande, & Shanker, 2021
Species:
A. beddomii
Binomial name
Agasthyagama beddomii
Boulenger, 1885

Agasthyagama beddomii, commonly known as the Indian kangaroo lizard, is a diurnal, terrestrial, insectivorous agamid lizard, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, beddomii, is in honor of British army officer and botanist Richard Henry Beddome (1830–1911). [2]

The common name, Indian kangaroo lizard, is derived from the lizard's habit of running on its hind legs with the body held upright.

Geographic range

A. beddomii is endemic to Western Ghats, where it is known from Sivagiri Hills (type locality), Agasthyamalai, Cardamom Hills and Travancore hills in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states.

Description

OtocryptisBeddomiiMintern.jpg

From snout to vent A. beddomii is about 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) long with a tail of about 3 inches (7.6 cm). The head is covered in scales that have a sharp keel running along the centre, a feature also found in the Sri Lankan species ( O. nigristigma and O. wiegmanni ). The scales on the head between the eyes are smaller and form about two or three longitudinal series. An inverted Y shape is formed by the keels of the scales but is indistinct. The canthus rostralis (or snout) is not prominent. There are 9 or 10 scales on the upper and lower lip. There are small pits on each side of the neck and in front of the shoulder. The scales on the back are unequal in size with the larger ones forming regular V-shaped marks with the point facing backwards, enlarged ones sometimes forming regular chevrons on the back, with the point facing backward. The scales on the underside are larger than those above. The scales on the side are small but with large scales interspersed. The scales on the upper side of the legs are large and keeled. When the hind leg is held along the body, the tip of the foot reaches the snout, the heel reaching the ear opening. The tail is round and slender and about two times the length of the head and body. The tail is covered by strongly keeled scales. The colour is olive brown with patches of dark brown on the back and limbs. A dark oblique band runs below the eye to the mouth. The underside is whitish, and young lizards have a brown throat. [3]

Habitat

The preferred habitat of A. beddomii is moist leaf litter on the forest floor of both evergreen and deciduous forests, but it may also climb onto low tree trunks and shrubs. [4]

Picture taken at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kollam, Kerala Otocryptis beddomii - Indian Kangaroo Lizard.jpg
Picture taken at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kollam, Kerala

Reproduction

A. beddomii is an oviparous species, with adult females laying clutches of 3–5 eggs. [4]

Conservation status

The distribution of A. beddomii is highly fragmented in patches of dense forest in the Western Ghats from and south of the Shencottah Gap. [5] The species appears to be sensitive to human disturbance. A record from Kodaikanal has been considered to be in error. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Draco blanfordii</i> Species of lizard

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<i>Draco dussumieri</i> Species of lizard

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<i>Draco maculatus</i> Species of lizard

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Colonel Richard Henry Beddome was a British military officer and naturalist in India, who became chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department. In the mid-19th century, he extensively surveyed several remote and then-unexplored hill ranges in Sri Lanka and south India, including those in the Eastern Ghats such as Yelandur, Kollegal, Shevaroy Hills, Yelagiri, Nallamala Hills, Visakhapatnam hills, and the Western Ghats such as Nilgiri hills, Anaimalai hills, Agasthyamalai Hills and Kudremukh. He described many species of plants, amphibians, and reptiles from southern India and Sri Lanka, and several species from this region described by others bear his name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blanford's rock agama</span> Species of lizard

Blanford's rock agama is species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Peninsular India. One of two species in the genus, P. blanfordanus is found mainly to the east of the distribution of P. dorsalis. Unlike the other species, the male P. blanfordanus in breeding season has the red body color restricted to the head and lacks the broad dorsal stripe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsular rock agama</span> Species of reptile

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<i>Salea horsfieldii</i> Species of lizard

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Beddome's worm snake is a species of harmless blind snake in the family Gerrhopilidae. The species is native to southern India. No subspecies are currently recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wynad day gecko</span> Species of lizard

The Wynad day gecko is a species of gecko. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in Kerala, India, and only known from two locations, Wayanad and Silent Valley National Park.

<i>Ophisops leschenaultii</i> Species of lizard

Ophisops leschenaultii, commonly called Leschenault's snake-eye, Leschenault’s lacerta, or Leschenault's cabrita, is a species of lacertid lizard endemic to India and eastern Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, this lizard is called Pandura katussa in Sinhala. In some parts of the country, it is also called Heeraluwa or sikanala, which is more common name for all skink-like reptiles.

Eutropis beddomei, commonly known as Beddome's mabuya or Beddome's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to India and Sri Lanka.

<i>Ristella travancorica</i> Species of lizard

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<i>Otocryptis wiegmanni</i> Species of lizard

Otocryptis wiegmanni, commonly called the brown-patched kangaroo lizard, Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard or Wiegmann's agama, is a small, ground-dwelling agamid lizard endemic to Sri Lanka.

Kaestlea beddomii, also known as Beddome's ground skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

References

  1. Srinivasulu, C.; Ganesan, S.R.; Vijayakumar, S.P. (2013). "Otocryptis beddomii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T173021A1375696. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T173021A1375696.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Otocryptis bedomii, p. 21).
  3. Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ, Eublepharidæ, Uroplatidæ, Pygopodidæ, Agamidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Otocryptis beddomii, new species, pp. 272-273 + Plate XXIII, figure 1).
  4. 1 2 Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN   0-88359-056-5. (Otocryptis beddomii, p. 78).
  5. Jose J, Ramachandran KK, Nair PV (2007). "A rare and little known lizard, Otocryptis beddomi, from the Myristica swamps of southern Kerala, India". Herpetological Bulletin. 101: 27–31.
  6. Murthy TSN (1980). "Recent rediscovery of the rare agamid lizard Otocryptis beddomii ". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 77 (2): 343–344.
  7. Chandramouli SR (2009). "Status and microhabitat preference of Otocryptis beddomii Boulenger, 1885 (Reptilia: Agamidae) in Ponmudi Hills, Western Ghats, Kerala, India". Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity. 1 (2): 107. doi: 10.4038/tapro.v1i2.2763 .

Further reading