Sitana

Sitana is a genus of lizards, collectively known as the fan-throated lizards, from the family Agamidae. They are found in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.[1] The genus comprises thirteen species, including several recently discovered species,[2] such as two new species from Sri Lanka.[3] In 2016, a new genus named Sarada was erected, consisting of one former Sitana species and two newly described ones. Sarada is the sister genus of Sitana. Together they form a clade which sister group is Otocryptis.[1]

Sitana
Sitana ponticeriana, the type species
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Subfamily: Draconinae
Genus: Sitana
G. Cuvier, 1829
Type species
Sitana ponticeriana
Cuvier, 1829

Description

Sitana are small to medium-sized lizards. They are ground dwellers, primarily eating insects but also mollusks and plant seeds.[1]

Males measure 37–47 mm (1.5–1.9 in) and females 36–52 mm (1.4–2.0 in) in snout–vent length. Males have prominent dewlaps which are used in communication during the breeding season. The dewlap may be small to large, depending on the species. Females lack the dewlap.[1]

Species

There are fourteen species that are listed here alphabetically:[2]

  • Sitana attenboroughii Sadasivan, Kalesh; Ramesh, M. B.; Palot, Muhamed Jafer; Ambekar, Mayuresh; Mirza, Zeeshan A, 2018; endemic to Kerala, India[4]
  • Sitana devakai Amarasinghe, Ineich & Karunaratna, 2014
  • Sitana dharwarensis Ambekar, Murthy, & Mirza 2020
  • Sitana fusca Schleich & Kästle, 1998[5]
  • Sitana gokakensis Deepak, Khandekar, Chaitanya, & Karanth, 2018
  • Sitana kalesari Bahuguna, 2015
  • Sitana laticeps Deepak and Giri, 2016[1]
  • Sitana marudhamneydhal Deepak, Khandekar, Varma & Chaitanya, 2016
  • Sitana ponticeriana Cuvier, 1829 – (blue) fan-throated lizard
  • Sitana schleichi Anders & Kästle, 2002
  • Sitana sivalensis Schleich, Kästle & Shah, 1998; endemic to Nepal[6][7]
  • Sitana spinaecephalus Deepak, Vyas and Giri, 2016[1]
  • Sitana thondalu Deepak, Khandekar, Chaitanya, & Karanth, 2018
  • Sitana visiri Deepak, 2016[1]

References
  1. Deepak, V.; Giri, Varad B.; Asif, M.; Dutta, S.K.; Vyas, R.; Zambre, Amod M.; Bhosale, Harshal; Karanth, K. Praveen (2016). "Systematics and phylogeny of Sitana (Reptilia: Agamidae) of Peninsular India, with the description of one new genus and five new species". Contributions to Zoology. 85 (1): 67–111. doi:10.1163/18759866-08501004.
  2. Sitana at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 17 September 2016.
  3. Anole annals
  4. Sadasivan, Kalesh; Ramesh, M. B.; Palot, Muhamed Jafer; Ambekar, Mayuresh; Mirza, Zeeshan A. (21 January 2018). "A new species of fan-throated lizard of the genus Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from coastal Kerala, southern India". Zootaxa. 4374 (4): 545–564. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4374.4.5. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 29689791.
  5. H. H. Schleich; W. Kästle (1998). "Sitana fusca spec. nov., a further species from the Sitana sivalensis- complex". In H. H. Schleich; W. Kästle (eds.). Contributions to the Herpetology of South Asia (Nepal, India). Wuppertal: Fuhlrott Museum. pp. 207–226. ISBN 978-3-87429-404-1.
  6. Sitana sivalensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
  7. H. H. Schleich; W. Kästle; K. B. Shah (1998). "Description of Sitana sivalensis spec. nov., (Sauria: Agamidae) from south Nepal". In H. H. Schleich; W. Kästle (eds.). Contributions to the Herpetology of South Asia (Nepal, India). Wuppertal: Fuhlrott Museum. pp. 87–100. ISBN 978-3-87429-404-1.
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