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Calotes minor (HARDWICKE & GRAY, 1827)

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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Hardwicke's Bloodsucker, Dwarf Rock Agama 
SynonymAgama minor HARDWICKE & GRAY 1827: 218
Brachysaura ornata BLYTH 1856
Brachysaura ornata — STOLIZCKA 1872: 77
Charasia ornata — BOULENGER 1885: 334
Agama minor — SMITH 1935: 225
Laudakia minor — DAS 1996: 44
Agama minor — WERMUTH 1967: 18
Brachysaura minor — MANTHEY & SCHUSTER 1999: 26
Brachysaura minor — KHAN 2003
Brachysaura minor — VYAS 2007
Laudakia minor — MURTHY 2010: 110
Brachysaura minor — KHAN & KUMAR et al. 2010
Brachysaura minor — KHAN 2014
Calotes minor — DEEPAK et al. 2015 
DistributionPakistan (Sind, Punjab), NW/C India (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Orissa = Odisha), Bangladesh

Type locality: Chittagong, SE Bangladesh (probably in error fide KHAN & KUMAR 2010, DEEPAK et al. 2015)  
Reproductionoviparous 
Types 
Diagnosis 
CommentType species: Brachysaura ornata BLYTH 1856 is the type species of the genus Brachysaura BLYTH 1856.

Synonymy: Brachysaura has been synonymized with Calotes by DEEPAK et al. 2015. Brachysaura minor has the shortest tail length and fifth toe compared to many other Calotes; these morphological differences probably lead to the confusion in the allocation of the genus. The relative length of tail to SVL is remarkably distinct and was used as key for this species (Smith 1935). Gray (1845) listed Agama minor in the synonymy of Calotes minor but the latter is a different agamid, presently considered as Oriocalotes pau­lus (Günther 1864, Smith 1935, Ananjeva et al. 2011, cited in DEEPAK et al. 2015). The specimens of O. paulus referred by Gray (1845) under C. minor were misidentified and they were not types of the new species. The interpretation by Smith (1935) was wrong, which was corrected by Wermuth (1967).

Type: not in BMNH fide P. Campbell (pers. comm., 25 July 2014)

Distribution: The record of this species from Angul, Odisha by Chakraborty & Gupta (2009) is that of Psammophilus cf. blanfordi­ anus. The only record of B. minor from eastern part of the subcontinent is the type locality (Chittagong). Previous authors have raised their doubts about the occurrence of B. minor in Chittagong (see Khan & Kumar 2010). Deepak et al. 2015 also suspect this record is erroneous as the habitat at Chittagong is forested with high rainfall compared to open grassland in semi-arid and arid regions of western and central India (Deepak et al. 2015). 
References
  • Ardesana, Ravi 2018. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES ON THE HARDWICKE'S BLOODSUCKER, Calotes minor (HARDWICKE & GRAY, 1827) WITH PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE AGAMIDAE OF GUJARAT, INDIA. Cobra 12 (1): 1-6 - get paper here
  • Blyth,E. 1856. Proceedings of the Society. Report of the Curator. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 25: 448-449 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, George A. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp. - get paper here
  • Deepak, V.; Raju Vyas, V. B. Giri, & K. Praveen Karanth 2015. A taxonomic mystery for more than 180 years: the identity and systematic position of Brachysaura minor (Hardwicke & Gray, 1827). Vertebrate Zoology 65(3):371–381 - get paper here
  • GIRI, VARAD. B.; R. CHAITANYA, STEPHEN MAHONY, SAMUEL LALROUNGA, C. LALRINCHHANA, ABHIJIT DAS, VIVEK SARKAR, PRAVEEN KARANTH, V. DEEPAK 2019. On the systematic status of the genus Oriocalotes Günther, 1864 (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) with the description of a new species from Mizoram state, Northeast India. Zootaxa 4638 (4): 451–484 - get paper here
  • Günther, A. 1864. The Reptiles of British India. London (Taylor & Francis), xxvii + 452 pp. - get paper here
  • Hardwicke, Thomas & Gray, J.E. 1827. A synopsis of the species of saurian reptiles, collected in India by Major-General Hardwicke. Zoological Journal, London 3: 213-229 - get paper here
  • INGLE, M., A. SARSAVAN & M. PAWAR 2012. Brachysaura minor (HARDWICKE & GRAY, 1827) (Sauria: Agamidae: Agaminae) in Madhya Pradesh, Indien, mit Anmerkungen zu Morphologie, Verbreitung und Lebensweise. Sauria 34 (4): 47-55 - get paper here
  • Jangid, Ashish Kumar; Gandla Chethan Kumar, , Chandra Prakash Singh<br> & Monika Böhm 2021. Potential distribution of the endemic Short-tailed ground agama Calotes minor (Hardwicke & Gray, 1827) in drylands of the Indian sub-continent. Herpetological Journal 31: 132-141 - get paper here
  • Khan, M. S. 2014. Herpetology of Pakistan FIELD GUIDE SERIES: Families Agamidae, Chamaeleonidae. Privately published, 39 pp. - get paper here
  • Khan, M.S. 2003. CHECKLIST AND KEY TO THE LIZARDS OF PAKISTAN. Pakistan J. Zool. Suppl. Ser. (1): 1-25 - get paper here
  • Khan, Muhammad Sharif and Manoj Kumar 2010. Notes on morphology, habits, ecology and distribution of short-tailed ground agama; Brachysaura minor (Hardwicke and Gray 1827). Pakistan J. Wildl., vol. 1(1): 31-35
  • Manthey,U. & SCHUSTER,N. 1999. Agamen, 2. Aufl. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 120 pp. - get paper here
  • Murthy, T.S.N. 2010. The reptile fauna of India. B.R. Publishing, New Delhi, 332 pp.
  • Patel, Harshil; and Raju Vyas 2019. Reptiles of Gujarat, India: Updated Checklist, Distribution, and Conservation Status. Herpetology Notes 12: 765-777 - get paper here
  • Smith, M.A. 1935. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Reptiles and Amphibia, Vol. II. Sauria. Taylor and Francis, London, 440 pp.
  • Stoliczka, F. 1872. Notes on the Reptilian and Amphibian Fauna of Kachh. Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 1872: 71-85 - get paper here
  • Venugopal, P.D. 2010. An updated and annotated list of Indian lizards (Reptilia: Sauria) based on a review of distribution records and checklists of Indian reptiles. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 (3): 725-738. - get paper here
  • Vyas, Raju 2007. Present conservation scenario of reptile fauna in Gujarat State, India. Indian Forester, Oct 2007: 1381-1394 - get paper here
 
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