Suborder Lacertilia Family Agamidae Scientific name Calotes Phylum Chordata Order Scaled reptiles | Subphylum Vertebrata Infraorder Iguania Higher classification Agamidae Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Oriental garden lizard, Spineless forest lizard, Calotes mystaceus | ||
Calotes versicolor or the indian garden lizard basking in the sun
Calotes is a genus of lizards in the draconine clade of the family Agamidae. The genus contains 27 species. Some species are known as forest lizards, others as "bloodsuckers" due to their red heads, and yet others (namely C. versicolor) as garden lizards.
Contents
- Calotes versicolor or the indian garden lizard basking in the sun
- Calotes lizard
- Geographic range
- Description
- Taxonomy
- Species
- References
Calotes lizard
Geographic range
Species in the genus Calotes are native to South Asia, southern China, mainland Southeast Asia and Ambon. Additionally, C. versicolor has been introduced to Florida (USA), Borneo, Sulawesi, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Oman. The greatest species richness of the genus is from the Western Ghats, northeast India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Description
Calotes is distinguished from related genera in having uniform-sized dorsal scales, and lacking a fold of skin extending between the cheek and shoulder, and in having proportionately stronger limbs than Pseudocalotes. Compared to Bronchocela, Calotes have a proportionately shorter tail and limbs. Calotes as we know it today was classified by Moody (1980) prior to which all of the above-mentioned genera were included in this genus.
Taxonomy
The genus Calotes is still a heterogeneous group that may be divided into the C. versicolor and C. liocephalus groups. The former occurs through most of South Asia and further east. All species in this group have their dorsal and lateral scales directed upward. The latter is restricted to the southern Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. All species in this group have their scales directed back, or up and down, or down only. Whether further splitting is necessary or whether the groups constitute subgenera of a monophyletic Calotes remains to be studied.
Species
Listed alphabetically.
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Calotes.