Rankinia | |
---|---|
Rankinia diemensis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Agamidae |
Genus: | Rankinia |
Species: | R. diemensis |
Binomial name | |
Rankinia diemensis Wells & Wellington, 1984 | |
Synonyms | |
Grammatophora muricata diemensis Gray, 1841 |
Rankinia is a genus of small agamid reptiles. As currently delineated, it is monotypic, containing only Rankinia diemensis (Gray, 1841), [2] also known as the mountain heath dragon or mountain dragon. It is endemic to Australia. [3]
It occurs in the uplands of New South Wales and Victoria, as well as in Tasmania, where it is the only native agamid. Mountain dragons are found in dry woodlands and heaths with access to open areas for sunning themselves. They are oviparous and feed on ants and other small invertebrates. [4] [5]
They do not climb very high, relying instead on camouflage to evade predators. [6]
Their overall colour is grey to reddish brown, with two rows of lighter-coloured paravertebral stripes or blotches running down their backs. These stripes are deeply scalloped, so they appear like two series of blotches. They can have cream-coloured bellies. Individuals can grow up to 20 cm in length, although the average length is somewhat smaller, with females typically growing larger than males. The average snout to base of tail length is 7.5 centimeters, [7] but can be up to 9. [8] They have a row of enlarged spinose (spikey) scales on each side of the tail bases.
The mountain dragon appears similar to the jacky dragon, but can be much redder, and the inside of its mouth is pink (compared to the yellow of the jacky dragon). [6]
They breed in summer, laying 2–9 eggs in a burrow. [8]
Amphibolurus is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Australia.
The mulga dragon is a species of agamid lizard found in Western Australia. The species is up to 250 mm long, the length from snout to vent is 95 mm, with a long, slender tail that ends abruptly. The patterning over the legs and body is grey and brownish streaks. This provides an excellent camouflage on mulga trees, its usual habitat, it is also found beneath mulga leaf litter. Diporiphora amphiboluroides generally remains motionless and unobserved, this allows it to operate as an ambush predator and elude animals that would prey on it.
Chelosania is a genus of agamid lizards that contains a single species, Chelosania brunnea. These are commonly known as the chameleon dragon. They live in the northern parts of West Australia, the Northern Territory, and northwestern Queensland.
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.
The Australian water dragon, which includes the eastern water dragon and the Gippsland water dragon subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia. The Gippsland Water Dragon is generally the more southern of the two species and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland Water Dragon from the Eastern Water Dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.
Children's python is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is named after John George Children. It is a nocturnal species occurring in the northern half of Australia and generally found on the ground, although it often climbs trees. Usually growing to about 1.0 m (3 ft) in length or more depending on the polymorphic variant, it is typically a reddish-brown colour, darker on the upper surface, and with many darker blotches, especially on younger specimens. The Stimson's python variant has much stronger and more variable colours; often being adorned with reddish-brown to chocolate blotches against lighter tan. It feeds mostly on small mammals and birds, and as with other pythons, it constricts its prey before swallowing it whole. It is a popular pet among reptile enthusiasts.
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.
The variegated mountain lizard or Himalayan dragon is an agamid lizard found in northern India, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Rankin's dragon is a species of Australian agamid lizard. It may also be called the pygmy bearded dragon and the black-soiled bearded dragon.
Metlapilcoatlus nummifer, commonly known as Mexican jumping pitviper or jumping viper, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Mexico.
Bothriechis aurifer is a venomous pit viper species found in Mexico and Guatemala. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The jacky dragon is a type of lizard native to south-eastern Australia. Other common names include blood-sucker, stonewalker, and tree dragon. It was one of the first Australian reptiles to be named by Europeans, originally described by English zoologist George Shaw in Surgeon-General John White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, published in London in 1790. The lizard is well-known for its bright yellow mouth and well-developed vertebral crest, as well as the temperature-dependent sex determination of its offspring.
Cryptoblepharus virgatus, also commonly known as striped snake-eyed skink, cream-striped shinning-skink, wall skink, fence skink or snake-eyed skink is a skink commonly found in southern and eastern Australia. It is an active little lizard, and if threatened will often play dead to confuse the attacker.
The southern angle-headed dragon or southern forest dragon is a species of agamid lizard endemic to Australia.
The curl snake is a species of venomous, heavily built snake in the family Elapidae. The species, which is native to Australia, is also known more commonly in Western Australia as the myall snake. The curl snake is often confused with a similar species named the Ord curl snake.
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 lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is found throughout arid zones of Australia and is also a common house pet.
Oligodon pseudotaeniatus, commonly known as the false striped kukri snake, is a species of colubrid snake. It is endemic to Thailand and known from the Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Saraburi Province, and Bangkok. The type series was collected by Malcolm Arthur Smith. The specific name pseudotaeniatus refers to its similarity to Oligodon taeniatus, with whom it was confused prior to its species description in 2008.
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.
Ctenophorus adelaidensis, commonly known as the western heath dragon is a species of agamid lizard occurring in sandplains with heath and banksia along the lower coast of Western Australia, between Kalbarri and Perth. Adults are grey in colour, with dark blotches. They are relatively slow compared to other Ctenophorus species, preferring to scuttle rather than sprint.
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 genera. 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.
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