Draco dussumieri: Difference between revisions
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{{Taxobox | name = ''Draco dussumieri'' |
{{Taxobox | name = ''Draco dussumieri'' |
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| image = Draco_dussumieri_display.jpg |
| image = Draco_dussumieri_display.jpg |
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| image_caption = The yellow dewlap is flicked forward in display |
| image_caption = The yellow dewlap is rapidly flicked forward in display |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| species = '''''D. dussumieri''''' |
| species = '''''D. dussumieri''''' |
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| binomial = ''Draco dussumieri'' |
| binomial = ''Draco dussumieri'' |
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| binomial_authority = [[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C. Duméril]] & [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]], 1837 |
| binomial_authority = [[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C. Duméril]] & [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]], 1837<ref name=desc>{{cite book| author1=Dumeril, A.M.C.|author2=Bibron, G.|title= |
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Erpétologie générale, ou, Histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome 4.| url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32526463|year=1837}}</ref> |
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}} |
}} |
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'''''Draco dussumieri''''' or '''southern flying lizard''', is a [[species]] of [[agamid]] [[lizard]] capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found in the [[Western Ghats]] and hill forests of southern [[India]]. They are almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where they climb tree to forage for insects and glide to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which are supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck are also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue to support them. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. Males have a more colourful patagium than females and they prominently extend their yellow dewlaps forward in display. Although living almost their entire lives on the trees, females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the western most distribution within the genus ''Draco'', the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia. |
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'''''Draco dussumieri''''', commonly known as the '''southern flying lizard''', is a [[species]] of [[agamid]] [[lizard]] capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found in the [[Western Ghats]] and hill forests of southern [[India]]. |
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The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''dussumieri'', is in honor of [[Jean-Jacques Dussumier]], a [[French people|French]] voyager who collected [[Zoology|zoological]] specimens in southern [[Asia]] in the early 19th century.<ref>Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (''Draco dussumieri'', p. 78).</ref> |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[File:Flying_Lizard.jpg|thumb|left|in [[Western Ghats]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]]] |
[[File:Flying_Lizard.jpg|thumb|left|in [[Western Ghats]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]]] |
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[[File:DracoDussumieri-1.jpg|thumb|The "wing" or patagium is supported by 6 elongated ribs ]] |
[[File:DracoDussumieri-1.jpg|thumb|The "wing" or patagium is supported by 6 elongated ribs ]] |
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The southern flying lizard is brown with patches of grey that match the pattern of tree bark. The are about 23 cm long, with a snout to vent of about 7 to 9 cm and a 10 to 13 cm tail. The head is round with a short snout and the nostrils point upwards. They are active during the day after they have warmed up in the early morning sun. Males have a long yellow dewlap which is shorter in the females. These lizards climb up the trees in search of insect prey on the trunks and leap off when the reach the top to land on adjoining trees. They are able to glide by extending their patagia, flaps of skin on the side of the body that are supported by six elongated ribs with special musculature to extend them outwards. In addition the sides of the neck are also stretched out to form a pair of smaller wings around the head. They are able to control the direction of the glide using their tails. The patagium is patterned on the underside with black blotches on yellow and purple. Patterns vary individually and these marking have been used to identify and estimate population sizes. A horn-like, conical tubercle behind and above the posterior part of the eye is prominent. Males have a small crest arising on the nape. The yellow [[gular sac]] on the throat is long and narrow, longer in the male. The back is rough and the throat has irregular brown spots.<ref name=gunther>{{cite book|authorlink=Albert Günther|author=Günther ACLG|year= 1864| title=The Reptiles of British India|place= London| publisher=Taylor and Francis|pages=125=126|url=https://archive.org/stream/reptilesofbritis00gn#page/124/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|authorlink=George Albert Boulenger|author=Boulenger, G.A.|year=1890| title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia.|place= London|publisher= Secretary of State for India in Council|page=113|url=https://archive.org/stream/reptiliabatrachi1890boul#page/112/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="masmith">{{cite book|authorlink=Malcolm Arthur Smith|author=Smith MA|year=1943|title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia, Vol. II.—Sauria.|place= London|publisher=Secretary of State for India in Council|page=143|url=https://archive.org/stream/FBISmithReptiles2/smith2#page/n157/mode/2up}}</ref> In addition to the patagium, the hyoid apparatus (part of the tongue) expands throat lappets horizontally so that the head is also supported on its sides by small wing like structures.<ref name=gliding>{{cite journal| title=The Biology of Gliding in Flying Lizards (Genus Draco) and their Fossil and Extant Analogs|author1=McGuire, Jimmy A.|author2=Dudley, Robert| journal= Integr. Comp. Biol. |year=2011| doi=10.1093/icb/icr090 |year=2011}}{{open access}}</ref> |
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<ref>{{cite journal|journal= Fieldiana zoology| title=Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (Genus Draco)|author=Inger, R.F.| year=1983| volume=18|url=https://archive.org/stream/morphologicaleco18inge#page/n7/mode/2up| pages=1-35}}</ref> |
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The species was first described as "Dussumier's dragon" by Dumeril and Bibron who described it in 1837 in the fourth volume of their catalogue of the reptiles of the world. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''dussumieri'', is in honor of [[Jean-Jacques Dussumier]], a [[French people|French]] voyager who collected [[Zoology|zoological]] specimens in India. ''Draco'' is the Greek word for dragon.<ref name=desc /> |
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These lizards are almost entirely arboreal. Females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil.<ref name=gliding /> |
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==Distribution== |
==Distribution== |
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This species is found principally along the [[Western Ghats]] and associated hill forests of [[Kerala]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Karnataka]], [[Goa]] in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona |
This species is found principally along the [[Western Ghats]] and associated hill forests of [[Kerala]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Karnataka]], [[Goa]] in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona) in Andhra Pradesh <ref>{{cite journal|author=Balachandran S, Pittie A.|year=2000 |title=Occurrence of ''Draco'' or flying lizard ''Draco dussumieri'' in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=97|issue=1|pages=147–148|url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48567573}}</ref> [[Nelson Annandale]] recorded it as "common about ten miles north of Trivandrum, but apparently very local." It is often found in coconut and betel-nut plantations near forests.<ref name="masmith" /><ref name="gunther" /> |
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==Behaviour and ecology == |
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| ⚫ | Males display actively from February to April in Kerala, mainly in the forenoon after the sun warms them up. Males maintain small territories and bob their head and erect the gular pouch when they spot females nearby. They also change their skin colour to become silvery grey and conspicuous before gliding towards the female. Males chase females and court them with ritualized moves. The male mounts the female and bits the nape during copulation. Males intimidate intruding males by expanding and folding their patagium and making conspicous movements.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Observations on the mating behaviour and copulation in Draco dussumieri Dum. & Bib. (Reptilia: Sauria)| journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=64|issue=1|pages=112-115 |year=1967| author=John, K. O.|url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48069429}}</ref> These lizards are almost entirely arboreal. Females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil.<ref name=gliding /> |
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== Courtship and territoriality == |
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| ⚫ | Males display actively from February to April in Kerala, mainly in the forenoon after the sun warms them up. Males maintain small territories and bob their head and erect the gular pouch when they spot females nearby. They also change their skin colour to become silvery grey and conspicuous before gliding towards the female. Males chase females and court them with ritualized moves. The male mounts the female and bits the nape during copulation. Males intimidate intruding males by expanding and folding their patagium and making conspicous movements.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Observations on the mating behaviour and copulation in Draco dussumieri Dum. & Bib. (Reptilia: Sauria)| journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=64|issue=1|pages=112-115 |year=1967| author=John, K. O.|url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48069429}}</ref> |
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In a population estimate made in an areca plantation in the Western Ghats, the density was found to be about 13 per hectare.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Sreekar R|author2= Purushotham CB| author3= Saini K| author4= Rao SN| author5= Pelletier S| author6= Chaplod S| year=2013| title= Photographic Capture-Recapture Sampling for Assessing Populations of the Indian Gliding Lizard Draco dussumieri|journal= PLoS ONE |volume=8|issue=|page= e55935|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0055935}}{{open access}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The southern flying lizard has many predators including arboreal snakes and birds. Two species of bird that have been observed to feed on them include the [[Indian golden oriole]] and the [[black-capped kingfisher]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Balachandran S.|year=1998 |title=Golden oriole ''Oriolus oriolus'' preying on flying lizard ''Draco dussumieri'' Duméril & Bibron|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=95|issue=1|page=115|url=http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48604635#page/129/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| title=Dietary of black capped kingfisher - an addition| author=Nair, Manoj V.|page= 119 |journal=Newsletter for birdwatchers | volume=34| issue=5| year=1994| url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW34_5#page/n21/mode/2up}}</ref> |
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==In fiction== |
==In fiction== |
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==Other references== |
==Other references== |
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* [[:fr:Indraneil Das|Das I]]. 2002. ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (''Draco dussumieri'', p. 75). |
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* [[André Marie Constant Duméril|Duméril AMC]], [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron G]]. (1837). ''Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Tome quatrième.'' [Vol. 4]. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret. ii + 571 pp. (''Draco dussumieri'', pp. 456-458). |
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* Honda, Masanao; Ota, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Mari; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin; Yong, Soi-Sen; Hikida, Tsutomu. (1999). "Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus ''Draco'' (Reptilia: Agamidae)". ''Zoological Science'' '''16''': 535-549. |
* Honda, Masanao; Ota, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Mari; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin; Yong, Soi-Sen; Hikida, Tsutomu. (1999). "Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus ''Draco'' (Reptilia: Agamidae)". ''Zoological Science'' '''16''': 535-549. |
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* [[Robert F. Inger|Inger RF]]. (1983). "Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (genus ''Draco'')". ''Fieldiana Zoology'', New Series (18): vi + 1-35. |
* [[Robert F. Inger|Inger RF]]. (1983). "Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (genus ''Draco'')". ''Fieldiana Zoology'', New Series (18): vi + 1-35. |
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Revision as of 12:10, 28 January 2016
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| Draco dussumieri | |
Draco dussumieri or southern flying lizard, is a species of agamid lizard capable of gliding from tree to tree. It is found in the Western Ghats and hill forests of southern India. They are almost completely arboreal, found on trees in forests and adjoining palm plantations where they climb tree to forage for insects and glide to adjoining trees by expanding the patagium, loose skin on the sides of the body which are supported by elongated ribs to act as wings. The skin on the sides of the neck are also extended to the sides using the hyoid bones of the tongue to support them. During the breeding season males maintain small territories which they defend from other males while courting females. Males have a more colourful patagium than females and they prominently extend their yellow dewlaps forward in display. Although living almost their entire lives on the trees, females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil. This is the species with the western most distribution within the genus Draco, the majority of species occurring in Southeast Asia.
Description
The southern flying lizard is brown with patches of grey that match the pattern of tree bark. The are about 23 cm long, with a snout to vent of about 7 to 9 cm and a 10 to 13 cm tail. The head is round with a short snout and the nostrils point upwards. They are active during the day after they have warmed up in the early morning sun. Males have a long yellow dewlap which is shorter in the females. These lizards climb up the trees in search of insect prey on the trunks and leap off when the reach the top to land on adjoining trees. They are able to glide by extending their patagia, flaps of skin on the side of the body that are supported by six elongated ribs with special musculature to extend them outwards. In addition the sides of the neck are also stretched out to form a pair of smaller wings around the head. They are able to control the direction of the glide using their tails. The patagium is patterned on the underside with black blotches on yellow and purple. Patterns vary individually and these marking have been used to identify and estimate population sizes. A horn-like, conical tubercle behind and above the posterior part of the eye is prominent. Males have a small crest arising on the nape. The yellow gular sac on the throat is long and narrow, longer in the male. The back is rough and the throat has irregular brown spots.[2][3][4] In addition to the patagium, the hyoid apparatus (part of the tongue) expands throat lappets horizontally so that the head is also supported on its sides by small wing like structures.[5] [6]
Etymology
The species was first described as "Dussumier's dragon" by Dumeril and Bibron who described it in 1837 in the fourth volume of their catalogue of the reptiles of the world. The specific name, dussumieri, is in honor of Jean-Jacques Dussumier, a French voyager who collected zoological specimens in India. Draco is the Greek word for dragon.[1]
Distribution
This species is found principally along the Western Ghats and associated hill forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona) in Andhra Pradesh [7] Nelson Annandale recorded it as "common about ten miles north of Trivandrum, but apparently very local." It is often found in coconut and betel-nut plantations near forests.[4][2]
Behaviour and ecology
Males display actively from February to April in Kerala, mainly in the forenoon after the sun warms them up. Males maintain small territories and bob their head and erect the gular pouch when they spot females nearby. They also change their skin colour to become silvery grey and conspicuous before gliding towards the female. Males chase females and court them with ritualized moves. The male mounts the female and bits the nape during copulation. Males intimidate intruding males by expanding and folding their patagium and making conspicous movements.[8] These lizards are almost entirely arboreal. Females descend to the ground to lay eggs in soil.[5]
In a population estimate made in an areca plantation in the Western Ghats, the density was found to be about 13 per hectare.[9]
The southern flying lizard has many predators including arboreal snakes and birds. Two species of bird that have been observed to feed on them include the Indian golden oriole and the black-capped kingfisher.[10][11]
In fiction
Draco dussumieri features prominently in a fictional work in Kannada written by Poornachandra Tejaswi. In this story, Carvalho, a middle aged scientist searches for this flying lizard in forest of Western Ghats.
Notes
- ^ a b Dumeril, A.M.C.; Bibron, G. (1837). Erpétologie générale, ou, Histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome 4.
- ^ a b Günther ACLG (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 125=126.
- ^ Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. p. 113.
- ^ a b Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia, Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. p. 143.
- ^ a b McGuire, Jimmy A.; Dudley, Robert (2011). "The Biology of Gliding in Flying Lizards (Genus Draco) and their Fossil and Extant Analogs". Integr. Comp. Biol. doi:10.1093/icb/icr090.
- ^ Inger, R.F. (1983). "Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (Genus Draco)". Fieldiana zoology. 18: 1–35.
- ^ Balachandran S, Pittie A. (2000). "Occurrence of Draco or flying lizard Draco dussumieri in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 97 (1): 147–148.
- ^ John, K. O. (1967). "Observations on the mating behaviour and copulation in Draco dussumieri Dum. & Bib. (Reptilia: Sauria)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 64 (1): 112–115.
- ^ Sreekar R; Purushotham CB; Saini K; Rao SN; Pelletier S; Chaplod S (2013). "Photographic Capture-Recapture Sampling for Assessing Populations of the Indian Gliding Lizard Draco dussumieri". PLoS ONE. 8: e55935. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055935.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
- ^ Balachandran S. (1998). "Golden oriole Oriolus oriolus preying on flying lizard Draco dussumieri Duméril & Bibron". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (1): 115.
- ^ Nair, Manoj V. (1994). "Dietary of black capped kingfisher - an addition". Newsletter for birdwatchers. 34 (5): 119.
Other references
- Honda, Masanao; Ota, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Mari; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin; Yong, Soi-Sen; Hikida, Tsutomu. (1999). "Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus Draco (Reptilia: Agamidae)". Zoological Science 16: 535-549.
- Inger RF. (1983). "Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (genus Draco)". Fieldiana Zoology, New Series (18): vi + 1-35.
- McGuire, Jimmy A.; Heang, Kiew Bong. (2001). "Phylogenetic systematics of Southeast Asian flying lizards (Iguania: Agamidae: Draco) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 72: 203-229.
- Murthy TSN. (1990). "A field book of the lizards of India". Rec. Zool. Surv. India 115: 1-122.