Laudakia nupta

Laudakia nupta is a species of lizard from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It was described in 1843. There are two subspecies, Laudakia nupta nupta and Laudakia nupta fusca.

Laudakia nupta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Laudakia
Species:
L. nupta
Binomial name
Laudakia nupta
(De Filippi, 1843)
Synonyms[1]

Laudakia nupta nupta

  • Agama nupta
    De Filipi, 1843
  • Stellio nuptus
    Blanford, 1876
  • Stellio carinatus
    Duméril, 1851 (fide Smith, 1935)
  • Agama flavicauda
    Werner, 1897 (fide Wermuth, 1967)
  • Agama caucasica
    Schmidt, 1939
  • Agama nupta nupta
    Minton, 1966

Laudakia nupta fusca:

  • Laudakia nupta fusca
    (Blanford, 1876)
  • Stellio nuptus var. fuscus
    Blanford, 1876
  • Agama nupta var. fusca
    Boulenger, 1885
  • Laudakia fusca
    Cheatsazan et al., 2008

Taxonomy

L. nupta was described by Filippo De Filippi in 1843. Its taxonomy has been moved many times, having previously been classified under the genera Agama and Stellio.[1] The current scientific name comes from the past participle of the Latin verb nūbo, meaning to cover or veil. The meaning shifted over time, coming to mean a bride that covers herself for the groom.[1] The bride's crown is a reference to the lizard's crown-like crest.[1]

Laudakia nupta nupta is commonly known as large-scaled agama or large-scaled rock agama,[1][2] and Laudakia nupta fusca is commonly known as yellow-headed rock agama.[1][3]

Description

L. nupta is a large sized lizard with a heavy head and nostrils on the canthus rostralis. The body is moderately depressed, and there are vertebral enlarged scales covering most of the lizard's back. It has a long tail with segments of three whorls. L. nupta has oviparous reproduction.[1]

The subspecies L. nupta nupta is yellowish or reddish brown, and the vertebral enlarged scales are strongly keeled.[1]

The subspecies L. nupta fusca has no nuchal fold, and the vertebral enlarged scales are strongly mucronate.[1]

Diet

Plants are the main source of food for L. nupta.[4] L. nupta fusca is omnivorous and are known to consume Daphne oleoides, beetles, and ants.[5]

Habitat and distribution

L. nupta is typically found in western Asia. The subspecies L. nupta nupta can be found in eastern Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.[1] It resides in large limestone rocks and outcrops with deep crevices, and in man-made structures like mud-brick homes and old buildings.[6] The subspecies L. nupta fusca can be found in southern Pakistan and southern Iran.[1]

References
  1. "Laudakia nupta". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  2. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Laudakia nupta". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  3. "ADW: Laudakia nupta: CLASSIFICATION". animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  4. Sanchooli, Naser (2017-05-01). "Habitat suitability and potential distribution of Laudakia nupta (De Filippi, 1843) (Sauria: Agamidae) in Iran". Russian Journal of Ecology. 48 (3): 275–279. doi:10.1134/S106741361703016X. ISSN 1608-3334.
  5. Qashqaei, Ali Turk; Ahmadzadeh, Faraham (2015-08-04). "Dietary records of yellow-headed agama in Hormozgan Province, Iran". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 22 (4): 315–317. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2015-22-4-315-317. ISSN 1026-2296.
  6. Rahimian, Hassan; Pazoki, Samaneh; Habashi, Sima Abbasi (2014-08-13). "Gastrointestinal nematodes of Laudakia nupta nupta (Sauria: Agamidae) from Iran with descriptions of two new species (Oxyuridea: Pharyngodonidae) and comments on the diagnostic features of Parapharyngodon and Thelandros". Zootaxa. 3852 (1): 51–82. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3852.1.2. ISSN 1175-5334.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.