Ctenophorus
| Ctenophorus | |
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| Ctenophorus fordi, Mallee dragon | |
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| Genus: | Ctenophorus |
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28 species, see text | |
Ctenophorus is a genus of lizards, also known as comb-bearing dragons, that contains the most diverse group of dragon lizards in Australia. Many of these have been grouped by a similar morphology. The informal names and groupings within this genus — rock, crevice-, ground, sand-, and bicycle-dragon — are named after the mythological creature, the dragon.
Species
There are 28 recognized species in the genus.[2]
- Ctenophorus adelaidensis (Gray, 1841) – western heath dragon
- Ctenophorus butlerorum (Storr, 1977)
- Ctenophorus caudicinctus (Günther, 1875) – ring-tailed bicycle-dragon, ring-tailed dragon
- Ctenophorus chapmani (Storr, 1977)
- Ctenophorus clayi (Storr, 1967) – black-shouldered ground-dragon, black-collared dragon
- Ctenophorus cristatus (Gray 1841) – crested bicycle-dragon, crested dragon, bicycle dragon
- Ctenophorus decresii (A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837) – tawny crevice dragon, tawny dragon
- Ctenophorus femoralis (Storr, 1965) – long-tailed sand-dragon
- Ctenophorus fionni (Procter, 1923) – Peninsula crevice-dragon, Peninsula dragon
- Ctenophorus fordi (Storr, 1965) – Mallee dragon, Mallee sand-dragon, Mallee military dragon
- Ctenophorus gibba (Houston, 1974) – Bulldust ground-dragon, gibber dragon
- Ctenophorus isolepis (Fischer, 1881) – central military dragon
- Ctenophorus maculatus (Gray, 1831) – spotted military dragon, spotted dragon, spotted sand-dragon
- Ctenophorus maculosus (F.J. Mitchell, 1948) – Lake Eyre dragon, salt-lake ground-dragon
- Ctenophorus mckenziei (Storr, 1981) – dwarf bicycle-dragon, McKenzie's dragon
- Ctenophorus mirrityana McLean et al., 2013
- Ctenophorus nguyarna Doughty, Maryan, Melville & J. Austin, 2007 – Lake Disappointment dragon
- Ctenophorus nuchalis (De Vis, 1884) – central netted dragon, central netted ground-dragon
- Ctenophorus ornatus (Gray, 1845) – ornate dragon, ornate crevice-dragon
- Ctenophorus parviceps (Storr, 1964)
- Ctenophorus pictus (W. Peters, 1866) – painted dragon
- Ctenophorus reticulatus (Gray, 1845) – western netted dragon, western netted ground-dragon
- Ctenophorus rufescens (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) – rusty crevice-dragon, rusty dragon
- Ctenophorus salinarum Storr, 1966 – saltpan ground-dragon, claypan dragon
- Ctenophorus scutulatus (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) – lozenge-marked dragon, lozenge-marked bicycle-dragon
- Ctenophorus tjantjalka Johnston, 1992 – ochre dragon
- Ctenophorus vadnappa Houston, 1974 – red-barred crevice-dragon, red-barred dragon
- Ctenophorus yinnietharra (Storr, 1981) – Yinnietharra crevice-dragon, Yinnietharra rock dragon
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Ctenophorus.
Polymorphism:
This genus of lizards is known to display polymorphism, or the ability to change forms. An example of a polymorphism is a lizard that changes colors. It is believed that polymorphism occurs due to a combination of sexual selection and natural selection. [3]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ctenophorus.
Wikispecies has information related to Ctenophorus.
- ^ Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de.
- ^ Ctenophorus, The Reptile Database. Accessed 7 October 2014.
- ^ Stuart-Fox, D. M.; Moussalli, A (2004). "Evolution of Color Variation in Dragon Lizards: Quantitative Tests o the Role of Cryypsis and Local Adaptation". Evolution (58(7)).
Further reading
- Browne-Cooper, Robert; Brian Bush; Brad Maryan; David Robinson. (2007). Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia. University of Western Australia Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-920694-74-6.
Australias most diverse group of dragons
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- Fitzinger L. (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Ctenophorus, new genus, p. 83). (in Latin).
- Wilson S, Swan G. (2003). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. Second edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishing.