Diporiphora winneckei | |
---|---|
Canegrass dragon | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Agamidae |
Genus: | Diporiphora |
Species: | D. winneckei |
Binomial name | |
Diporiphora winneckei | |
Diporiphora winneckei, also known commonly as the canegrass dragon, canegrass two-line dragon, blue-lined dragon, and Winnecke's two-pored dragon, is a species of small, terrestrial, diurnal [2] lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. [3] It is found throughout arid zones of Australia and is also a common house pet. [2]
The specific name, winneckei, is in honor of Australian explorer Charles George A. Winnecke (1856–1902). [4]
Diporiphora winneckei is a slim lizard with a long tail and limbs, approximately 15–24 cm (5.9–9.4 in) in total length. [5] It is a grey or pale brown to reddish-brown colour, with a thick grey ventral band that runs from the nape to the tail. [5] It also has creamy-yellow (female) or silver grey (male) stripes that run down each side of its back, converging at the pelvis. Dark angular blotches lie between the stripe and the ventral band of female, while males have fewer or no blotches visible. [6] The canegrass dragon also has a creamy mid lateral stripe that runs from eye to ear on each side. It has homogenous scales as well as weak gular and postauricular folds. It lacks the spines and crest that many other dragons display. [7]
The canegrass dragon was first officially described in 1896 by Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas and Charles Frost. [2] Its common name originates from the fact that it is often found in canegrass. Its scientific name, Diporiphora winneckei, suggests that it has two visible pores, however the pores are not visible on this species. [7] The closest species to the canegrass dragon is Amelia's dragon (Diporiphora ameliae) which was split from the canegrass dragon as a new species in 2012. Amelia's dragon has four longitudinal ventral stripes when compared to the canegrass dragons two ventral stripes, as well as having a postauricular fold and spines, which the canegrass dragon lacks. [2]
The canegrass dragon is an endemic species found in the arid zones of Australia, with a rainfall of less than 500mm. [5] It's predominantly found in the region surrounding the junction of the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia borders. However, it also occupies habitat across Western Australia as far as the northern West Australian coastline. The canegrass dragon is usually found on desert sand ridges or other sandy soils in amongst ground litter, cane grass, spinifex or hummock grasses. [6] The canegrass dragon is rarely sighted, despite not being rare, due to its excellent camouflage and secretive behaviour. [2]
The canegrass dragon reaches sexual maturity at around one year old. During the breeding season, the male will attract a female by repeated head bobs, which displays his willingness to mate. If the female is not ready, she will run away. However, if she is, she will lower her head several times to show she is interested. The breeding season for the canegrass dragon is from October to April. During that time, the female can lay between four and six clutches of eggs, between one and three eggs per clutch, in a small nest in moist sandy soil. The eggs will develop in approximately two to three weeks. [2]
The canegrass dragon feeds during the day and is insectivorous. However, it has been found on some occasions to consume leafy greens and flowers. [2]
Although the canegrass dragon is not currently listed as a conservation concern, it is still subject to those threats that threaten all Australian reptiles. These threats include introduced diseases, death on roads, habitat modification, degradation and loss, and feral predators such as foxes, dogs, cats, and even cane toads. [8]
Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Amphibolurus is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Australia.
Chelosania is a genus of agamid lizards that contains a single species, Chelosania brunnea. These are commonly known as the ring-tailed dragon or the Australian chameleon dragon. They live in West Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Diporiphora is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. Most species in the genus are endemic to Australia, but two are also found in New Guinea.
The eastern bearded dragon, also known as common bearded dragon or simply bearded lizard, is an agamid lizard found in wooded parts of Australia. It is one of a group of species known commonly as bearded dragons. Other common names for this species include Jew lizard and frilly lizard, the latter being a confusion between this and another dragon, the frill-necked lizard. This species was originally described in 1829 by Georges Cuvier, who named it Amphibolurus barbatus.
Paradelma orientalis, commonly known as the Brigalow scaly-foot or Queensland snake-lizard, is a species of legless lizard in the family Pygopodidae. It is endemic to Australia and is the only species in the monotypic genus Paradelma.
The jacky dragon is a type of lizard native to southeastern Australia. It was one of the first Australian reptiles to be named, originally described by English zoologist George Shaw in Surgeon-General John White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, which was published in London in 1790. It is well known for its bright yellow mouth and well-developed vertebral crest, as well as the temperature-dependent sex determination of its offspring. Other common names include blood-sucker, stonewalker, and tree dragon.
Agama aculeata, the ground agama, is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae, found in most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Ctenophorus maculosus, commonly known as the Lake Eyre dragon or salt-lake ground-dragon, is a species of agamid lizard endemic to South Australia. C. maculosus mainly inhabits the edges of salt lakes in South Australia, from which its common names are derived. It survives in this harsh habitat through adaptive mechanisms to tolerate high temperatures and lack of free water. The female C. maculosus possesses unique male rejection techniques which are currently the focus of further research.
Ctenophorus pictus, commonly known as the painted ground-dragon or painted dragon, is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae. It is endemic to the drier areas of southern and central Australia.
The Barrier Range dragon, Ctenophorus mirrityana, is an agamid lizard which has been newly described (2013) as a separate species from the tawny dragon. This species is endemic to Australia, restricted to just three sites in western New South Wales (NSW).
Ctenotus strauchii, also known commonly as the eastern barred wedge-snout ctenotus or Strauch's ctenotus, is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia and is found throughout semi-arid and arid regions in most of Australia's mainland states except Western Australia, although one record does exist for Western Australia in 1975.
Tympanocryptis tetraporophora, also known as Eyrean earless dragon or long-tailed earless dragon, is one of a documented species of a relatively small dragon belonging to the genus Tympanocryptis. Tympanocryptis is differentiated from other genera within the family Agamidae by a tympanum covered with scales and a missing phalange in the fifth toe of the rear foot. T. tetraporophora is a ground dwelling dragon inhabiting semi arid regions of central New South Wales, arid regions of South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and tropical grasslands of Northern Queensland.
Strophurus intermedius, also known commonly as the eastern spiny-tailed gecko or the southern spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of Australia in New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, in mallee shrubland and woodland habitats.
The gibber earless dragon, also known as the smooth-snouted earless dragon, is a species of agamid lizard endemic to Australia. It is one of a documented species of the genus Tympanocryptis, a group of small terrestrial lizards that feed off invertebrates and are characterised by the absence of an external ear structure.
The Mallee military dragon, also commonly known as the Mallee dragon or Mallee sand-dragon, is a species of agamid lizard occurring in the arid parts of southern Australia. The Mallee military dragon's specific name, fordi was named after Dr. Julian Ralph Ford (1932-1987). Dr. Ford was an ornithologist, herpetologist and chemist who worked at the Western Australian Museum. He collected the lizard holotype and many of the paratypes.
Ctenophorus mckenziei, more commonly known as the Dwarf-bicycle dragon, is a species of endemic Australian lizard within the family Agamidae and genus Ctenophorus. Originally identified as the agamid Amphibolurus Mckenziei, the lizard had been identified within the regions of Western Australia and South Australia in which it occupied the shrubbery and woodland areas as its habitat. It was subsequently transferred to the genus Ctenophorus along with other Agamid species in which it shared similar morphology and characteristics. The name “Mckenziei” is in reference to Norman Leslie Mckenzie, who was a zoologist and discovered the existence of the lizard. Listed on the IUCN red list page, threats to its population numbers are detailed of least concern, however their numbers face threat due to habitat loss, climate change, and feral predators.
Ctenophorus parviceps, commonly known as the Gnaraloo heath dragon or northwestern heath dragon is a species of agamid lizard occurring in pale coastal sands and shell grit with open heaths and beach spinifex, between the North West Cape and Carnarvon, Western Australia and on Bernier Island. The Gnaraloo Heath Dragon is a lizard that can be found along the coast of Western Australia between Exmouth Gulf and Shark Bay, and is also known as the Northwestern Heath Dragon. It is native to Australia and usually inhabits sandy coastal dunes. The species’ longevity is 3-50 years and its population density is extremely low. The Gnaraloo Heath Dragon is a member of the Agamidae family, which contains 15 genuses. The lizard is under the Ctenophorus genus which has up to 33 species. This genus shows the most morphological and ecological diversity out of the three large agamid genera. 83% of the lizards in this genus lack a crest, while 17% possess crests. They are smaller than most agamids but do have relatively large heads. The Gnaraloo Heath Dragon can be differentiated from related species by a series of spines on the tail’s base, a pale-grey brown broad vertebral band along its back, and hour-glass bars extending upwards to meet the pale vertebral band. It is usually 45mm in terms of length, measuring from snout to vent.
The saltbush Morethia skink, or more commonly referred to as saltbush skink, is a species of skink found in Australia. They are part of an 8 species genus of Morethia, which are all endemic to Australia. Akin to other members of the Morethia genus, saltbush skinks feature transparent disks as eye covers and eyelids which are stationary, along with specialised limbs which enable quick traversal of sand dunes. Taxonomically, the species was first classified by German explorer Wilhelm Karl Hartwig in 1871.
Diporiphora bennettii, also known commonly as the Kimberley sandstone dragon or the robust two-line dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia.