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Calotes calotes (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Calotes calotes - Least Concern, LC
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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), Sri Lanka

Type locality: “Asia, Zeylona”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NRM = Royal Museum Stockholm
Other specimens: TNHM (Kerala), see Ganesh et al. 2025. 
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)


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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). They state that Smith (1935) explicitly attributed the Nicobar record to Blyth’s specimen ZSI 6543. More recently, records from Nicobar are considered to be erroneous and most likely refer to an equally longtailed Bronchocela.

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.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek “kalos” = pretty, gracile, referring to the beautiful colors often seen in this species.

The genus was named after the 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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