Salea horsfieldii | |
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Side view of the head | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Agamidae |
Genus: | Salea |
Species: | S. horsfieldii |
Binomial name | |
Salea horsfieldii Gray, 1845 | |
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. [1] 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.
The specific name, horsfieldii, is in honor of American naturalist Thomas Horsfield. [2]
S. horsfieldii is an olive brown to green lizard, with a white banded appearance. The snout is about 1.5 times as long as the eye diameter which is about twice the diameter of the ear opening. The scales on the head are large and rough. Some scales around the brow above the eye are curved. A row of three or four large scales is found between the eye and the ear opening. The scales on the throat are lanceolate, keeled and sharp tipped. The male has a crest on the back of the neck made up of a few lanceolate spines facing backwards. The dorsal crest continues after a break behind the nuchal crest. The scales on the upper surface are large, rhomboidal, strongly keeled, pointing straight backwards; these are nearly always of unequal size, larger ones being scattered on the sides. The ventral scales are very strongly imbricate, strongly keeled and ending in a spine, nearly as large as the dorsals. The limbs are somewhat long, and when the hind limb is held along the body, the toes reach between the shoulder and ear opening. The tail, which is compressed, has a small crest in the male, but is crestless in the female. The caudal scales are sub-equal and strongly keeled. [3]
The colour is pale olive above but varies from green to brown, with irregular dark-brown cross bands, often broken up by a band of light-brown colour running along the sides of the back. The larger scales on the sides are frequently white, and a blackish band edged below in white extends from the eye, through the tympanum, to the foreleg. The tail is banded with regular dark brown and creamy bands. The length from snout to vent (SVL) is about 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) and the tail measures 9.75 inches (24.8 cm). [3]
Ceratophora is a genus of agamid lizards found in Sri Lanka. The male has a horn on its snout.
Salea is a genus of arboreal, slow-moving, diurnal, insectivorous, egg-laying agamid lizards endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. It has two species, each inhabiting very high mountainous tracts of the Western Ghats in the Shola forest ecosystems.
Monilesaurus ellioti, or Elliot's forest lizard, is a species of arboreal, diurnal, lizard in the family Agamidae, endemic to the Western Ghats, India.
Calotes nemoricola, the Nilgiri Forest lizard, is an agamid lizard found in the Western Ghats of India.
Draco blanfordii, commonly known as Blanford's flying dragon, Blandford’s flying lizard, or Blanford's gliding lizard, is a species of "flying" lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Asia, and is capable of gliding from tree to tree.
Draco maculatus, commonly known as the spotted flying dragon, is a species of agamid flying lizard endemic to Southeast Asia. It is capable of gliding from tree to tree.
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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.
The Peninsular rock agama or South Indian rock agama is a common species of agama found on rocky hills in south India. An allied species, Psammophilus blanfordanus, is found in the Eastern Ghats, but north of the range of this species.
The Anaimalai spiny lizard or Anaimalais salea is a species of agamid lizard endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. Specifically, it is found on the Anaimalai Hills and Meghamalai in the Kerala and Tamil Nadu states.
Ahaetulla perroteti, known commonly as the bronze-headed vine snake, Perrotet's vine snake, or the Western Ghats bronzeback, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats in South India.
The Nilgiri keelback or Beddome's keelback is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats in India. The species is named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830–1911, British army officer and botanist. It was first discovered near the Nilgiris but is now known more widely from the Western Ghats. This snake is terrestrial and feeds on toads.
Hemidactylus maculatus, also known as the spotted leaf-toed gecko or giant spotted gecko, is a species of large gecko found in the Western Ghats of India and in parts of Sri Lanka.
Jerdon's day gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to India and Sri Lanka.
The Sispara day gecko is a species of gecko found in the Nilgiri Hills of India.
Cyrtodactylus deccanensis, also commonly known as Deccan ground gecko, Günther's Indian gecko, or the banded ground gecko, is a species of gecko found in the northern Western Ghats of India. It has been found from northern Maharashtra, with a habitat range possibly extending to southern Gujarat. Cyrtodactylus albofasciatus was previously considered conspefic with Cyrtodactylus deccanensis but is now accepted as a valid species.
The Malayan forest gecko or banded bent-toed gecko is a species of gecko found in Southeast Asia.
Uropeltis broughami, commonly known as Brougham's earth snake or the Sirumallay Uropeltis, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. Uropeltis broughami is endemic to India.
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.
Ristella travancorica, commonly known as the Travancore cat skink or the Travancore ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats in India.
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