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Draco volans LINNAEUS, 1758

IUCN Red List - Draco volans - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Common Flying Dragon
G: Gewöhnlicher Flugdrache 
SynonymDraco volans LINNAEUS 1758: 199
Draco praepos LINNAEUS 1758 (1766 fide MANTHEY 1983)
Draco major LAURENTI 1768
Draco minor LAURENTI 1768
Draco volans — SHAW & NODDER 1789: plate 8
Draco viridis DAUDIN 1802
Draco fuscus DAUDIN 1802
Draco daudinii DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 451 (partim)
Draci viridis javanica SCHLEGEL 1844
Draco volans — BOULENGER 1885: 256
Draco volans — ANDERSSON 1900: 4
Draco volans — DE ROOIJ 1915: 70
Draco volans — TAYLOR 1963: 834
Draco volans — HENDRICKSON 1966: 59
Draco volans — GRANDISON 1972: 79
Draco volans — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 174
Draco volans — COX et al. 1998: 101
Draco volans — TEYNIÉ et al. 2010 
DistributionIndonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, Bali, Java, Timor), West Malaysia (incl. Pulau Tioman ?),
Thailand (incl. Phuket), Philippines (Palawan), Vietnam.

sumatranus: W Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Borneo, Palawan, Singapore

Type locality: “Indi a, Africa”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NRM = Royal Museum Stockholm 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): readily distinguishable from other agamid genera by their elongated ribs supporting a patagium.


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CommentDraco volans reticulatus, D.v. boschmai, and D. v. timorensis are now treated as a valid species. Draco reticulatus cyanopterus has been elevated to full species status by MCGUIRE & ALCALA 2000. Draco volans does not occur on Pulau Tioman according to GROSSMANN & TILLACK 2004.

Type species: Draco volans is the type species of the genus Draco LINNAEUS 1758. The genus Draco is also the type genus of the subfamily Draconinae Fitzinger, 1826.

Distribution: not in Singapore; (older) resports from there likely represent D. sumatranus (Figueroa et al. 2023).

Behavior: Draco is the reptile with most “gliding” species among reptiles. Wagner et al. 2023 found 82 species of gliding reptiles of which the 41 species of Draco made up half.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin volans = flying.

The genus was named after Latin draco (or Greek drakon) = a fabulous lizard-like animal, or just dragon. 
References
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