Calotes pethiyagodai
The Pethiyagoda's crestless lizard (Calotes pethiyagodai) is an agamid lizard endemic to Sri Lanka.[1][2] Locally known as පෙතියාගොඩගේ නොසිලු කටුස්සා (Pethiyagodage nosilu katussa).[2][3]
| Calotes pethiyagodai | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | Calotes |
| Species: | C. pethiyagodai |
| Binomial name | |
| Calotes pethiyagodai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Hallermann, Fujinuma, Grillitsch & Campbell, 2014[1] | |
Description
Researchers named the new lizard "Pethiyagoda's crestless lizard" to honor Rohan Pethiyagoda for his contributions to the biodiversity of Sri Lanka. This species has earlier been misidentified as Calotes liocephalus but researchers found that the males of C. pethiyagodai lack a gular pouch unlike the males of C. liocephalus; scalation is also different.[1]
Distribution
The lizard is restricted to the Knuckles Mountain Range, at elevations of 900–1,400 m (3,000–4,600 ft) asl. It inhabits forest edges and is found in trees and shrubs.[1]
Diet
Diet consists of insects like dragonflies and moths.[1]
References
- Amarasinghe; Karunarathna; Hallermann; Fujinuma; Grillitsch & Campbell (2014). "A new species of the genus Calotes (Squamata: Agamidae) from high elevations of the Knuckles Massif of Sri Lanka". Zootaxa. 3785 (1): 59–78. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3785.1.5. PMID 24872171.
- Calotes pethiyagodai at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 September 2015.
- Bushana Kalhara (26 August 2014). "Pethiyagoda's Crestless Lizard/පෙතියාගොඩගේ කොදු-දැති රහිත කටුස්සා (Calotes pethiyagodai)". Biodiversity of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 23 September 2015.