Calotes ceylonensis

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Calotes ceylonensis
Painted lip lizard with an insect prey at Kaludiya Pokuna.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Calotes
Species:
C. ceylonensis
Binomial name
Calotes ceylonensis
F. Müller, 1887
Synonyms
  • Calotes mystaceus var. ceylonensisMüller, 1887
  • Calotes ceylonensisBoulenger, 1890
  • Calotes kelaartiNevill, 1887
  • Calotes saleoidesWerner, 1896
  • Calotes ceylonensisSmith, 1935
  • Calotes ceylonensisTaylor, 1953
  • Calotes ceylonensisWermuth, 1967
  • Calotes ceylonensisMacey et al. 2000
  • Calotes ceylonensisKarunarathna & Amarasinghe, 2011

Calotes ceylonensis, commonly known as the painted-lipped lizard or the Ceylon bloodsucker, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. [2] It is one of four Calotes species endemic to Sri Lanka.

Contents

Habitat

C. ceylonensis is confined to monsoon forests, plantations, and home gardens in the dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka.

Geographic range

Localities in Sri Lanka at which C. ceylonensis has been collected include Mankulam, Elahera, Nilgala, Minneriya National Park, Sigiriya, Kandalama, Laggala, Kumana National Park, Puttalam and Kumbalgamuwa, up to elevation of about 400 m (1,300 ft).

Description

Basking Calotes ceylonensis basking.jpg
Basking

C. ceylonensis is a colorful, arboreal agamid. The length of the head is one and half times the width. The body is laterally compressed. The tail is long and slender, about or over twice the head-body length. The cheeks are swollen. Two separated spines can be seen above the tympanum. The nuchal crest is formed with low spines. Midbody scale rows number 54–60. [3]

The dorsum is brown, with indistinct brown crossbands. The head and anterior part of body are blackish-brown. There is a bright red or reddish-orange stripe on the upper lip that extends to the back of the head. When the lizard is threatened, or agitated by stress, the brown-colored lip turns to a bright white color, as does the dorso-nuchal crest. The throat of adult males is black. The tail is brown with dark crossbands. The venter is pale brown with darker crossbands. [4]

Calotes ceylonensis at Kandalama.jpg

Behavior

C. ceylonensis is active during the day on tree trunks.

Diet

The diet of C. ceylonensis comprises insects and other arthropods. [5]

Reproduction

About 5–10 eggs, measuring 14.5 mm × 16.5 mm (0.57 in × 0.65 in), are produced at a time. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Calotes</i> Genus of lizards

Calotes is a genus of lizards in the draconine clade of the family Agamidae. The genus contains 29 species. Some species are known as forest lizards, others as "bloodsuckers" due to their red heads, and yet others as garden lizards. The genus name Calotes has been derived from the Greek word Καλότης (Kalótës), meaning ‘beauty’, referring to the beautiful pattern of this genus.

<i>Ceratophora</i> Genus of lizards

Ceratophora is a genus of agamid lizards found in Sri Lanka. The male has a horn on its snout.

<i>Pseudocalotes</i> Genus of lizards

Pseudocalotes is a genus of agamid lizards endemic to Southeast Asia.

<i>Bronchocela cristatella</i> Species of lizard

Bronchocela cristatella, also known as the green crested lizard, is a species of agamid lizard endemic to Southeast Asia.

<i>Bronchocela jubata</i> Species of lizard

Bronchocela jubata, commonly known as the maned forest lizard, is a species of agamid lizard found mainly in Indonesia on the islands of Singkep, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Karakelang, Salibabu; Nias Island, Singkap Island, Borneo (Kalimantan) also in Thailand, Cambodia and Philippines. Although in the past it was thought the species may be found in India, either on the mainland or in the Nicobars, this is not the case according to herpetologist Das. It is also known by the common name of "bloodsucker", although this is a misnomer.

<i>Calotes calotes</i> Species of lizard

Calotes calotes, the common green forest lizard, is an agamid lizard found in the forests of the Western Ghats and the Shevaroy Hills in India, and Sri Lanka.

<i>Monilesaurus ellioti</i> Species of lizard

Monilesaurus ellioti, also known commonly as Elliot's forest lizard, is a species of arboreal, diurnal, lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats, India.

<i>Calotes emma</i> Species of lizard

Calotes emma, commonly known as the forest garden lizard or Emma Gray's forest lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. There are two recognized subspecies.

<i>Calotes maria</i> Species of lizard

Calotes maria, called commonly the Khasi Hills forest lizard or Assam garden lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.

<i>Calotes nemoricola</i> Species of lizard

Calotes nemoricola, the Nilgiri forest lizard, is an agamid lizard found in the Western Ghats of India.

<i>Monilesaurus rouxii</i> Species of reptile

Monilesaurus rouxii, commonly known as Roux's forest lizard, Roux's forest calotes, or the forest blood sucker, is a species of arboreal, diurnal, agamid lizard, which is endemic to hills of peninsular India. In July 2018, it was proposed that the species should be transferred to the new genus Monilesaurus.

<i>Agasthyagama</i> Species of Indian lizard

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

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

Salea horsfieldii, commonly known as Horsfield's spiny lizard or the Nilgiri salea, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of India. It is found mainly in the high altitude grassy hills. A related species, Salea anamallayana, is found in the grassy hills of the Anaimalai Hills.

Microauris is a monotypic genus of agamid lizard. Its only species is Microauris aurantolabium, also known as the small-eared dragon or orange-lipped forest lizard, found in the forests of the southern Western Ghats and is currently known from the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The species was formerly included in Pseudocalotes andamanensis of the Andaman Islands, but recognized as distinct in 2008. It was also classified under Calotes until 2018, where it was transferred to its own genus, Microauris, on the basis of its divergence from Calotes.

<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.

<i>Calotes liolepis</i> Species of lizard

The whistling lizard or Sri Lanka agama is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is one of four Calotes species endemic to Sri Lanka.

<i>Calotes nigrilabris</i> Species of lizard

Calotes nigrilabris, the black-cheek lizard, is an agamid species endemic to Sri Lanka. It can be distinguished easily from painted-lipped lizard by having black bar on mouth rather than white or orange bar.

<i>Ceratophora erdeleni</i> Species of lizard

Ceratophora erdeleni, also known commonly as Erdelen's horned lizard or Erdelen's horn lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka. It has only a rudimentary "horn", that is occasionally missing altogether.

The Pethiyagoda's crestless lizard is an agamid lizard endemic to Sri Lanka. Locally known as පෙතියාගොඩගේ නොසිලු කටුස්සා.

Sitana devakai is an endemic species of agamid lizards recently found from Sri Lanka. The species was first found from Puttalama district. The lizard is also known to found in Tamil Nadu of India, but not given valid identification. The species was named in honor of Dr. Devaka K. Weerakoon, who is a conservation biologist. He is a Professor of Zoology in University of Colombo.

References

  1. Perera, N.; Jayasekara, D.; Amarasinghe, A.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S.; Wijethilaka, N.; Botejue, M.; Pushpamal, V.; Gabadage, D. (2021). "Calotes ceylonensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T197251A123312267. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T197251A123312267.en . Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. Calotes ceylonensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 13 March 2022.
  3. "Ceylon Painted-lip Lizard". wildreach. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  4. Karunarathna, D. M. S. S.; Amarasinghe, A. A. T. & Stöckli, E. "Taxonomic and biological study on Calotes ceylonensis Müller, 1887 (Reptilia: Agamidae) of Sri Lanka" (PDF). Zoological Bulletin. 56 (4): 229–238. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  5. Karunarathna, D. M. S. S. & Amarasinghe, A. A. T. (2008). Behavior, Habitat, Ecology and Biology of Calotes ceylonensis Muller, 1887 (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Sri Lanka. International symposium of Agamids 2008. Zoologisches Forschungs museum A. Koenig, Bonn, Germany. 20.
  6. Pradeep, W. G. & Amarasinghe, A. A. T. (2011). "Ovipositional behaviour of Calotes ceylonensis Müller, 1887 (Reptilia: Agamidae) observed in the Central Province of Sri Lanka". Taprobanica. 1 (1): 24–27. doi:10.4038/tapro.v1i1.2774.

Further reading