Rankinia

Rankinia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Agamidae
Subfamily:	Agaminae
Genus:	Rankinia
Species
Rankinia adelaidensis Rankinia diemensis Rankinia parviceps

Rankinia, commonly known as Heath Dragons, is a genus containing three species of small agamid reptiles, found in Australia.

These dragons occur in heathlands, sandplains, and wooded country in southern regions of Australia. They are pale in colour, usually grey-brown, although males develop a reddish hue in the breeding season. This allows them to blend with their habitat, they are a ground dwelling species that dwells amid the leaf litter and sand. Rankinia are timid in their behaviour, and will only briefly break from the cover of vegetation. They have a burrowing behaviour that is unique in Australian dragons, they will cover all but their snouts with a shuffling action, burying themselves in the sand. this behaviour may help the dragons to regulate their temperature.

Species

Three species are contained by the genus, and subspecies of these have also been described and published.

• Rankinia adelaidensis (Gray, 1841) – Western Heath Dragon, Eastern Heath Dragon
• Rankinia diemensis (Gray, 1841) – Mountain Heath Dragon, Mountain Dragon
• Rankinia parviceps (Storr, 1964) – Shark Bay Heath Dragon

Many of the subspecies are restricted to a small range. Their distribution in Southwest Australia is represented by two subspecies of Rankinia adelaidensis; one at the western coast, another along the southeast coast of the region. A third subspecies, Rankinia parviceps butleri is found in a small range near Shark Bay and Dirk Hartog Island.

References

• Browne-Cooper, Robert; Brian Bush, Brad Maryan, David Robinson. Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia. University of Western Australia Press. pp. 162, 163. ISBN 9778 1 920694 74 6. 
• Rankinia, The Reptiles Database