Japalura tricarinata (BLYTH, 1853)
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Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Three Keeled Mountain Lizard, Tricarinate forest agama G: Dreikiel-Bergwaldagame Chinese: 三棱攀蜥 |
Synonym | Calotes tricarinatus BLYTH 1853: 650 Tiaris elliotti GÜNTHER 1860: 151 (fide BOULENGER 1885) Oriotiaris elliotti — GÜNTHER 1864 Oreotiaris tricarinata — ANDERSON 1871: 167 Acanthosaura tricarinata — BOULENGER 1885: 306 Acanthosaura tricarinata — ANNANDALE 1907: 153 Acanthosaura tricarinata — HORA 1926 Japalura tricarinata — SMITH 1935: 169 Japalura tricarinatus — DAS 1996: 44 Japalura tricarinata — MACEY et al. 2000 Oriotiaris tricarinata — KÄSTLE et al. 2013: 427 Japalura tricarinata — WANG et al. 2018 |
Distribution | N India (Sikkim, Derjeeling, West Bengal), E Nepal, China (Tibet) Type locality: near Darjeeling |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Holotype: ZSI 5300 "near Darjiling" (= Darjeeling, 27º 02'N; 88º 16'E, West Bengal State, eastern India). Syntypes: NHMUK 1946.8.28.9, female, Sikkim, Himalaya, coll. v. Schlagintweit; NHMUK 1946.8.13.98–99 (original number NMHUK 1853.8.12.1–2), one male and one female pres. J Hooker [ellioti] |
Diagnosis | Japalura tricarinata can be diagnosed from congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1) body size small, SVL 42.47–53.43 mm in males, 42.51–61.32 mm in females; (2) tail long, TAL 247.75–298.33% SVL in males, 203.43%–230.49% in fe- males; (3) MD 36–46; (4) T4S 22–28; (5) V-shaped ridges present along body midline from neck to pelvis, formed by enlarged, keeled scales (more distinct in females); (6) dorsolateral ridge present on each side of vertebral ridge, distinct, continuous from neck to pelvis; (7) numerous enlarged, modified scales present postrictal, with one at rear axis of jaw in conical shape, distinctively thick, protruding; (8) tympanum exposed; (9) transverse gular fold absent; (10) gular pouch feeble or absent; (11) ventral head scales smooth or feebly keeled in males; (12) vertebral ridge feebly developed in both sexes, not raised on skin fold or possessing protruding, serrated scales; (13) body coloration in life mostly uniform grass green in males (sometimes speckled with few dark brown spots), light Pratt’s rufous or Pratt’s rufous in females; (14) series of dark chevron patterns represent dorsally along midline in females, but indistinct in males; (15) gular spots absent in both sexes; and (16) distinct dorsolateral stripes absent in males. [from Wang et al. 2018] |
Comment | Synonymy mostly after WERMUTH 1967. Schleich and Kästle (1998) revalidated the genus Oriotiaris (erroneously called Oriocalotes in Ananjeva et al. 2017) Günther, 1864 and combined all species with a visible tympanum e.g. tricarinata in this genus, while placing species with a hidden tympanum, e.g. variegata into the genus Japalura (fide Ananjeva et al. 2017). However, Mahony 2009 synonymised Oriotiaris with Japalura. Distribution: possibly in Bhutan (Lenz 2012). Type species: Tiaris elliotti GÜNTHER 1860 is the type species of the genus Oriotiaris GÜNTHER 1864. |
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