Post by Ceratodromeus on Jan 21, 2016 9:33:01 GMT 5
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Infraorder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Subgenus: Agamidae
Genus: Calotes
Species: C.desilvai
Description
Discovered in 2005, the Morningside lizard is a small species of iguanian agamid discovered in The morningside forest of Sri Lanka, which give the species their common name. Field observers had mistaken this species with the closely related C.liolepis, but is discernible morphometricall, possessing longer femurs, and longer toes. In life, they are a brilliant green coloration, with dark colored bands running dorsally from the nape of the neck to the tip of the tail. These markings can also be found on and around the orbital ridge. The species is known from a rather small sample, The holotype male(WHT 1832), measured 76mm(2.99in) in snout-ventral length, and a paratype (and gravid) female(WHT 5998), measured 75.5mm in snout-ventral length{1}.
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{1} CALOTES DESILVAI, A NEW SPECIES OF AGAMID LIZARD FROM MORNINGSIDE FOREST, SRI LANKA
Abstract
The genus Calotes Cuvier has been considered to be represented in Sri Lanka by six species. A
seventh species, C. desilvai, evidently restricted to a single site, Morningside Forest (~ 10 km2) on the eastern side of the Sinharaja World Heritage Site, is described. Among the Sri Lankan Calotes, the new species seemsmost closely related to C. liolepis Boulenger, which is widely distributed in the island’s lowland rain forest and
a few isolated moist forests in the dry zone. Calotes desilvai is distinguished from C. liolepis by having the fifth
toe 42.6–47.0% of head length in males, 41.9–45.9% in females (vs. 31.0–39.5% and 33.0–40.5% respectively,
in C. liolepis); bands on gular area distinct, black (vs. bands on gular area faint, brown); shoulder pit black (vs.
shoulder pit cream white to brown); and scales on ventral surface of thigh smooth (vs. scales on the ventral
surface of thigh carinate). Males of C. desilvai may also be distinguished from males of C. liolepis by their
longer upper arm and femur (49.6–50.0 and 70.3–75.0% of head length, respectively) vs. shorter upper arm and
femur (40.3–49.3 and 57.1–69.5%, respectively) and a comparatively short posterior supratympanic spine
(1.7–2.7% of head length), longer in C. liolepis (3.1–12.9%).
link to study
