- Draco dussumieri
-
Southern Flying Lizard 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Iguania Family: Agamidae Genus: Draco Species: D. dussumieri Binomial name Draco dussumieri
Duméril & Bibron, 1837The Southern Flying Lizard Draco dussumieri is an agamid lizard capable of gliding from tree to tree found in the Western Ghats and hill forests of southern India.
Contents
Description
The hind limb extends very nearly to the axil of the fore limb, if laid forwards. Nostrils directed upwards; tympanum naked. Dorsal scales rather smaller than the upper labials, slightly keeled; a very prominent, horn-like, conical tubercle behind and above the posterior part of the orbit. Male with a very low and indistinct nuchal crest; gular sac very long and narrow; on each side of the back a series of small tubercular prominences, each being composed of several small scales. Throat with scattered, irregular brown spots. Ground-colour of the wings light; blackish violet reticulated lines occupy the middle and outer half of the wings, enclosing round light spots.[1]
Normally 6 patagial ribs. Head small; snout constricted, as long as the diameter of the orbit; nostril directed upwards, perfectly vertical; tympanum naked, as large as the eye-opening. Upper head-scales unequal, keeled; a spinose conical scale at the posterior corner of the orbit; 9 to 12 upper labials, the last twice or thrice as large as the preceding. Gular appendage of male considerably longer than the head, the tip obtusely pointed, covered with scales which are about as large as the ventrals. appendage of female less than half the length of the head. Dorsal scales unequal, smooth or feebly keeled, the largest as large as the ventrals, which are strongly keeled ; on each side of the back a series of tubercles each composed of several small scales. The fore-limb extends to beyond the snout, the hind-limb to the axilla, or not quite so far. Male with a slight nuchal fold. Dorsal scales scarcely larger than ventrals, unequal, smooth or very slightly keeled; on each side of the back a series of small tubercular prominences, each being composed of several small scales. The fore limb stretched forwards extends beyond the tip of the snout; the adpressed hind limb reaches the axil or not quite so far. Grey-brown above ; a series of more or less distinct dark circles on the back; wing-membranes above purplish black, enclosing round light spots, below with a series of large black spots near the margin; throat with irregular dark spots. [2][3]
Greyish-brown above, with darker markings ; sometimes a series of dark circles on the back. Wing-membranes above purplish-black, with light, rounded spots, or marbled with black and light (colour in life not described) ; grey below, with a series of large black marginal spots ; throat dark blue with black spots.[3] From snout to vent 95 ; tail 135 mm.
Distribution
Western Ghats and associated hill forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona RF) in Andhra Pradesh [4] Nelson Annandale recorded it as "common about ten miles north of Trivandrum, but apparently very local." Often found in coconut and betel-nut plantations.[3] Jerdon noted that this species was only found in the neighbourhood of forests of the west coast of the Peninsula of India, frequenting the cocoa-nut and betel-nut plantations in this region.[1]
The Golden Oriole has been observed to capture and feed on this lizard.[5]
Notes
- ^ a b C. A. L. Gunther (1864) The Reptiles of British India.
- ^ Boulenger, G.A.(1890) Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.
- ^ a b c Smith, M.A. 1941. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Amphibia
- ^ Balachandran,S & A. Pittie (2000). "Occurrence of Draco or flying lizard Draco dussumieri in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 97 (1): 147–148.
- ^ Balachandran,S (1998). "Golden oriole Oriolus oriolus preying on flying lizard Draco dussumieri Dum. & Bibr.". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (1): 115.
Other references
- Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1837 Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol. 4. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris.
- Honda, Masanao; Ota, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Mari; Nabhitabhata,Jarujin; Yong, Soi-Sen & Hikida,Tsutomu 1999 Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus Draco (Reptilia: Agamidae). Zoological Science 16: 535-549
- Inger,R.F. 1983 Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (genus Draco). Fieldiana (Zoology), New Ser. 18: vi, 1-35
- McGuire, Jimmy A. & Heang, Kiew Bong 2001 Phylogenetic systematics of Southeast Asian flying lizards (Iguania: Agamidae: Draco) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 72: 203-229
- Murthy, T.S.N. 1990 A field book of the lizards of India. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, 115: 1-122
- Balachandran, S. 2000 Occurrence of Draco or flying lizard Draco dussumieri in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Jounal of Bombay Natural History Society 97(1): 115
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