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Calotes calotes (LINNAEUS, 1758)

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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Common Green Forest Lizard, Green Forest Calotes
G: Sägerückenagame 
SynonymLacerta Calotes LINNAEUS 1758: 207
Iguana calotes — LAURENTI 1768: 49
Iguana calotes — MEYER 1795: 16
Agama calotes — DAUDIN 1802: 361
Agama ophiomachus MERREM 1820: 51 (nom. subst.)
Agama lineata KUHL 1820 (fide BOULENGER 1885)
Calotes ophiomachus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 403
Calotes ophiomachus — BLYTH 1846
Calotes ophiomachus — BOULENGER 1885: 327
Calotes ophiomachus — BOETTGER 1892: 70
Calotes calotes — LÖNNBERG 1896: 15
Calotes calotes — ANDERSSON 1900: 10
Calotes ophiomachus — ANNANDALE 1909: 255
Calotes calotes — SMITH 1935: 201
Calotes calotes — MANTHEY & SCHUSTER 1999: 29
Calotes calotes — KARUNARATHNA & AMARASINGHE 2011 
DistributionS India (Travancore, Shevaroy Hills, Tamil Nadu, Western Ghats, Kerala, Nicobar Islands), Sri Lanka

Type locality: “Asia, Zeylona”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NRM = Royal Museum Stockholm 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus). Medium to large sized agamids with a relatively broader head; dorsal and lateral scales uniform, arranged in rows of backwardly pointed scales; dorsal and nuchal crest more or less developed; groups or rows of spines from eye to above tympanum; often an antehumeral skin fold or pit present covered with small scales; gular sac usually present; tympanum naked; tail long and slender, usually swollen and rounded at the base in males; no preanal or femoral pores. (from Pal et al. 2018: 415) 
CommentSynonymy partly after SMITH 1935.

Distribution: Has been reported from the Nicobar Islands but not listed by DAS 1999. For a map in S India see Aengals & Ganesh 2022: 173 (Fig. 4).

Diagnostic characters: Calotes have 46–65 caudal vertebrae and the genus Agama have 35–45 except Agama hispida, which have 20–34 (Moody 1980).

Illustration in BARTS & WILMS 2003.

Type species: Lacerta Calotes LINNAEUS 1758 is the type species of the genus Calotes CUVIER 1817: 35.

Very common in Sri Lanka (BAHIR & SURASINGHE 2005).

Habitat: Most members of genus Calotes are arboreal except Calotes chincollium, which are reported to be primarily on ground during feeding (Vindum et al. 2003).

Key: to Calotes species in China: Huang et al. 2023, ZooKeys 1187: 84. 
EtymologyBoth genus and species were named after Greek “kalos” = pretty, gracile, referring to the beautiful colors often seen in this species. 
References
  • Aengals, R., & Ganesh, S. R. 2022. Distribution of the Green Forest Lizard Calotes calotes (Linnaeus, 1758)(Squamata: Agamidae) in India. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology, 11(2), 169-175 - get paper here
  • Amarasinghe, A. A. T.; U. Manthey, E. Stöckli, I. Ineich, S. 0 Kullander, F. Tiedemann, C. McCarthy & D. E. Gabadage 2009. The original descriptions and figures of Sri Lankan agamid lizards (Squamata: Agamidae) ofthe 18th and 19th centuries. Taprobanica 1 (1): 2-15 - get paper here
  • Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; D.M.S. Suranjan Karunarathna, and J. Fujinuma 2014. A New Calotes Species from Sri Lanka with a Redescription of Calotes liolepis Boulenger, 1885. Herpetologica 70 (3): 323-338 - get paper here
  • Andersson, L.G. 1900. Catalogue of Linnean type-specimens of Linnaeus's Reptilia in the Royal Museum in Stockholm. [type catalogue] Bihang till Konglika Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens. Handlingar. Stockholm. (4) 26 (1): 1-29. - get paper here
  • Annandale, N. 1909. Report on a small collection of lizards from Travancore. Records of the Indian Museum 3: 253-257 - get paper here
  • Bahir, M.M. & K. P. Maduwage 2005. Calotes desilvai, a new species of agamid lizard from Morningside Forest, Sri Lanka. Raffles Bull. Zool., Suppl. No. 12: 381-392 - get paper here
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  • Karunarathna, Suranjan D. M. S. and A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe 2011. A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE REPTILE FAUNA IN NILGALA FOREST AND ITS VICINITY, MONARAGALA DISTRICT, SRI LANKA. Taprobanica 3 (2): 69-76 - get paper here
  • Khanduri, S., Thirumurugan, V., CS, V., Chinnasamy, R., Das, A., & Talukdar, G. 2022. A note on opportunistic records of reptiles from the Moyar River Valley Landscape, Tamil Nadu, southern India. Journal of Animal Diversity 4 (4) - get paper here
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