Sitana attenboroughii
| Sitana attenboroughii | ||||||||||||
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Sitana attenboroughii in Kerala , South India |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sitana attenboroughii | ||||||||||||
| Sadasivan , Ramesh , Palot , Ambekar & Mirza , 2018 |
Sitana attenboroughii is a type of Agama genus of Sitana that in the coastal region of Kerala in southern India rediscovered and in 2018 first described was. The new species of lizard was named after the British wildlife filmmaker and naturalist Sir David Attenborough .
features
Sitana attenboroughii is a medium-sized species compared to the other species of the genus with a maximum head-torso length of 55.7 mm. The enlarged scales on the moderately large throat flag, which extends over up to 36% of the body, are slightly serrated. There are more than 72 to 74 ventral scales (abdominal scales) and 35 to 38 vertebral scales (median back scales, vertebral scales).
The head of the holotype , a male, is relatively long, broad, not flattened and clearly set off from the neck. The snout is relatively long, bluntly conical and longer than the diameter of the eye. The eyes are large, their pupils are round, and the eyelids are covered with small scales. The body is slim, around the middle of the body there are 51 rows of scales, 10 to 12 of them on the back. The tail is scaled evenly. The holotype was dark brown, the trunk with five dark, diamond-shaped spots on top. Starting at the rear edge of the tympanum , two light stripes run along the trunk laterally above the flanks. The limbs are brown with dark bands. The head is colored like the trunk, only the labials are white with a yellow tint. The underside is white. The paratypes are largely similar to the holotype, only the number of ventral scales is different.
Morphologically, Sitana attenboroughii is similar to the species Sitana visiri ( Deepak 2016), but has a higher number of ventral scales and a comparatively short but richly colored throat flag. It also differs from other species of the genus by the orange and blue coloring of the throat flag.
distribution and habitat
The species was discovered in the coastal belt of the Thiruvananthapuram district , the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala . It is the only known species of the Sitana genus in the state of Kerala. It was found near the fishing village of Puvar, south of the capital Thiruvananthapuram , in a habitat characterized by sand dunes and prickly grasses . The annual precipitation there is 1835 to 1865 mm. Since this is the only area in the region where this habitat type is still present, the lizard is considered endemic to this small area . Their habitat is threatened primarily by the ongoing development of tourism, which is why the species is considered to be severely endangered.
Way of life
In October adult males were seen lying on agave leaves in the sun. Females ran in the sand between the prickly undergrowth of the coastal vegetation, alongside footprints and caves of the animals. When disturbed, the agamas took shelter between the prickly bases of plants or in caves. Males were mostly active from early morning until noon and showed their throat flags to other animals. During an inventory at the type site (Terra typica) in July, only young animals were found. This suggests that the animals mate twice a year.
Web links
- Sitana attenboroughii first description at ResearchGate
- Sitana attenboroughii in The Reptile Database ; accessed on January 1, 2019.
- Sitana attenboroughii at indianreptiles.org
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Kalesh Sadasivan, MB Ramesh, Muhamed Jafer Palot, Mayuresh Ambekar, Zeeshan A. Mirza: A new species of fan-throated lizard of the genus Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from coastal Kerala, southern India . In: Zootaxa . tape 4374 , no. 4 , 2018, p. 545-564 , doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.4374.4.5 .
- ^ A b Sarath Babu George: New species of lizard discovered. The Hindu , February 2, 2018, accessed January 1, 2019 .