Otocryptis wiegmanni

Last updated

Otocryptis wiegmanni
Otocryptis wiegmanni.jpg
Otocryptis wiegmanni
at Udawattakele, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Otocryptis
Species:
O. weigmanni
Binomial name
Otocryptis weigmanni
Wagler, 1830
Synonyms [1]
  • Otocryptis wiegmanni
    Wagler, 1830 [2]
  • Otocryptis bivittata
    Wiegmann, 1831
  • Cophotis wiegmanni
    Janzen, 2003
  • Otocryptis wiegmanni
    — Janzen et al., 2007

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.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, wiegmanni, is in honour of German herpetologist Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann. [3] [1]

Habitat

The preferred habitat of O. wiegmanni is the wet zone forests and lower mountain forests (rainfall >2000 mm [4] ), up to 1,300 m (4,300 ft), of Sri Lanka. It is commonly seen in the leaf litter of shady rain forests. [5] [6]

Defensive behaviour

When perceiving danger, O. wiegmanni spurts away quickly on its large hind legs and might eventually climb up a sapling or tree. [5] [6]

Diet

O. wiegmanni feeds on small insects, grubs, and tender shoots. [5] [6]

Taxonomy

O. wiegmanni is closely related to the Indian kangaroo lizard ( O. beddomii ) of the rain forests of South India.

Description

O. wiegmanni may grow to an adult body size of about 7 cm (2.8 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL), plus a tail 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Its colour ranges from dark reddish brown to dull brown. Males are darker than females. [5] [6] Males have a maroon patch on their gular sac. [4]

Reproduction

Male O. wiegmanni are territorial and can defend their territory against intruders through displays and fights. [4] Females lay between three and five eggs in a nest in the ground between July and January, with a peak between October and January. [5] [6] The eggs are ellipsoidal, measuring 7 mm–7.5 mm × 10 mm–17 mm (0.28 in–0.30 in × 0.39 in–0.67 in). Hatchlings emerge after 57–70 days.

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 25 species. Some species are known as forest lizards, others as "bloodsuckers" due to their red heads, and yet others as garden lizards.

<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>Otocryptis</i> Genus of lizards

Otocryptis is a genus of agamid lizards from the Indian subcontinent. It is the sister group for the clade formed by Sitana and Sarada. The divergence is estimated to have occurred about 12 million years ago.

Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann

Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann was a German zoologist and herpetologist born in Braunschweig.

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

<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.

Japalura andersoniana, Anderson's mountain lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to southern Asia.

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.

<i>Otocryptis beddomii</i> Species of Indian lizard

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

<i>Gekko smithii</i> Species of lizard

Gekko smithii, commonly known as Smith's green-eyed gecko or the large forest gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

Leschenaults leaf-toed gecko Species of lizard

Leschenault's leaf-toed gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Asia and parts of West Asia. It is often found inside homes. Its scientific name commemorates French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.

Jerdon's day gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to India and Sri Lanka.

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

Sphenomorphus dussumieri, commonly known as Dussumier's forest skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southern India.

Rhino-horned lizard Species of lizard

The rhino-horned lizard, also commonly known as Stoddart's unicorn lizard and the mountain horned agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is called kagamuva angkatussa-කගමුව අං කටුස්සා in Sinhala.

Leaf-nosed lizard Species of lizard

Ceratophora tennentii, commonly known as the rhinoceros agama, horn-nosed lizard, and Tennent's leaf-nosed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Common butterfly lizard Species of lizard

The common butterfly lizard, or simply butterfly lizard, is a widespread species native to Asia.

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

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

Thwaites's skink, also known commonly as the fourtoe snakeskink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Nessia burtonii, commonly known as Burton's nessia, Gray's snake skink, or the three-toed snake skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

Nessia layardi, commonly known as Layard's snake skink or Layard's nessia, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka.

References

  1. 1 2 Otocryptis wiegmanni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 27 June 2017.
  2. Wagler J (1830). Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie ". Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Otocryptis wiegmanni, new species, p. 150). (in German and Latin).
  3. 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 wiegmanni, p. 285).
  4. 1 2 3 Karunarathna, D. M.S. Suranjan; Amarasinghe, A. A. Thasun (2007). "Notes on the territorial behaviour of Otocryptis wiegmanni Wagler, 1830 (Reptilia: Agamidae: Draconinae)". Herpetotropicos. 4 (2): 79–83.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Deraniyagala PEP (1953). A Colored Atlas of some Vertebrates from Ceylon, Volume 2. p. 58.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Das, Indraneil  [ fr ]; de Silva, Anslem (2005). Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Sri Lanka. London. p. 88.

Further reading