Draco dussumieri
Encyclopedia
The Southern Flying Lizard Draco dussumieri is an agamid lizard
capable of gliding from tree to tree found in the Western Ghats
and hill forests of southern India
.
Normally 6 patagial ribs. Head small; snout constricted, as long as the diameter of the orbit; nostril directed upwards, perfectly vertical; tympanum naked, as large as the eye-opening. Upper head-scales unequal, keeled; a spinose conical scale at the posterior corner of the orbit; 9 to 12 upper labials, the last twice or thrice as large as the preceding. Gular appendage of male considerably longer than the head, the tip obtusely pointed, covered with scales which are about as large as the ventrals. appendage of female less than half the length of the head. Dorsal scales unequal, smooth or feebly keeled, the largest as large as the ventrals, which are strongly keeled ; on each side of the back a series of tubercles each composed of several small scales. The fore-limb extends to beyond the snout, the hind-limb to the axilla, or not quite so far. Male with a slight nuchal fold. Dorsal scales scarcely larger than ventrals, unequal, smooth or very slightly keeled; on each side of the back a series of small tubercular prominences, each being composed of several small scales. The fore limb stretched forwards extends beyond the tip of the snout; the adpressed hind limb reaches the axil or not quite so far. Grey-brown above ; a series of more or less distinct dark circles on the back; wing-membranes above purplish black, enclosing round light spots, below with a series of large black spots near the margin; throat with irregular dark spots.
Greyish-brown above, with darker markings ; sometimes a series of dark circles on the back. Wing-membranes above purplish-black, with light, rounded spots, or marbled with black and light (colour in life not described) ; grey below, with a series of large black marginal spots ; throat dark blue with black spots.
From snout to vent 95 ; tail 135 mm.
and associated hill forests of Kerala
, Tamil Nadu
, Karnataka
, Goa
in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona RF) in Andhra Pradesh Nelson Annandale
recorded it as "common about ten miles north of Trivandrum, but apparently very local." Often found in coconut and betel-nut plantations. Jerdon noted that this species was only found in the neighbourhood of forests of the west coast of the Peninsula of India, frequenting the cocoa-nut and betel-nut plantations in this region.
The Golden Oriole
has been observed to capture and feed on this lizard.
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
capable of gliding from tree to tree found in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
and hill forests of southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Description
The hind limb extends very nearly to the axil of the fore limb, if laid forwards. Nostrils directed upwards; tympanum naked. Dorsal scales rather smaller than the upper labials, slightly keeled; a very prominent, horn-like, conical tubercle behind and above the posterior part of the orbit. Male with a very low and indistinct nuchal crest; gular sac very long and narrow; on each side of the back a series of small tubercular prominences, each being composed of several small scales. Throat with scattered, irregular brown spots. Ground-colour of the wings light; blackish violet reticulated lines occupy the middle and outer half of the wings, enclosing round light spots.Normally 6 patagial ribs. Head small; snout constricted, as long as the diameter of the orbit; nostril directed upwards, perfectly vertical; tympanum naked, as large as the eye-opening. Upper head-scales unequal, keeled; a spinose conical scale at the posterior corner of the orbit; 9 to 12 upper labials, the last twice or thrice as large as the preceding. Gular appendage of male considerably longer than the head, the tip obtusely pointed, covered with scales which are about as large as the ventrals. appendage of female less than half the length of the head. Dorsal scales unequal, smooth or feebly keeled, the largest as large as the ventrals, which are strongly keeled ; on each side of the back a series of tubercles each composed of several small scales. The fore-limb extends to beyond the snout, the hind-limb to the axilla, or not quite so far. Male with a slight nuchal fold. Dorsal scales scarcely larger than ventrals, unequal, smooth or very slightly keeled; on each side of the back a series of small tubercular prominences, each being composed of several small scales. The fore limb stretched forwards extends beyond the tip of the snout; the adpressed hind limb reaches the axil or not quite so far. Grey-brown above ; a series of more or less distinct dark circles on the back; wing-membranes above purplish black, enclosing round light spots, below with a series of large black spots near the margin; throat with irregular dark spots.
Greyish-brown above, with darker markings ; sometimes a series of dark circles on the back. Wing-membranes above purplish-black, with light, rounded spots, or marbled with black and light (colour in life not described) ; grey below, with a series of large black marginal spots ; throat dark blue with black spots.
From snout to vent 95 ; tail 135 mm.
Distribution
Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
and associated hill forests of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
in southern India. It is also reported from some parts of Eastern Ghats (Talakona RF) in Andhra Pradesh Nelson Annandale
Nelson Annandale
Thomas Nelson Annandale CIE was a Scottish zoologist, entomologist and anthropologist.The eldest son of Thomas Annandale, the regius professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh, Nelson was educated at Rugby School, Balliol College, Oxford, and the University of Edinburgh.Annandale...
recorded it as "common about ten miles north of Trivandrum, but apparently very local." Often found in coconut and betel-nut plantations. Jerdon noted that this species was only found in the neighbourhood of forests of the west coast of the Peninsula of India, frequenting the cocoa-nut and betel-nut plantations in this region.
The Golden Oriole
Golden Oriole
The Eurasian Golden Oriole or simply Golden Oriole is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions...
has been observed to capture and feed on this lizard.
Other references
- Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1837 Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol. 4. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris.
- Honda, Masanao; Ota, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Mari; Nabhitabhata,Jarujin; Yong, Soi-Sen & Hikida,Tsutomu 1999 Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus Draco (Reptilia: Agamidae). Zoological Science 16: 535-549
- Inger,R.F. 1983 Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (genus Draco). Fieldiana (Zoology), New Ser. 18: vi, 1-35
- McGuire, Jimmy A. & Heang, Kiew Bong 2001 Phylogenetic systematics of Southeast Asian flying lizards (Iguania: Agamidae: Draco) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 72: 203-229
- Murthy, T.S.N. 1990 A field book of the lizards of India. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, 115: 1-122
- Balachandran, S. 2000 Occurrence of Draco or flying lizard Draco dussumieri in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Jounal of Bombay Natural History Society 97(1): 115