Sitana visiri

Sitana visiri
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Agamidae
Genus:	Sitana
Species:	S. visiri
Binomial name
Sitana visiri Deepak, 2016

Sitana visiri, the palm leaf fan-throated lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is endemic to the Tamil Nadu region of India.[2][3]

Etymology

Sitana visiri's species epithet is derived from the regional Tamil language word for a hand-crafted fan made from palm leaf (also the source of the common name), because the dewlap of S. visiri resembles a local palm-leaf fan.[2]

Description

Sitana visiri can be distinguished from other members of the Sitana genus in the spinaecephalus clade by a strongly serrated dewlap with a large orange spot surrounded by extensive blue color.[4] The dewlap of S. visiri extends up to 56% of its trunk, which is proportionally larger than that of Sitana ponticeriana, S. bahiri, and S. devakai.[4] S. visiri is differentiated from the species in the ponticeriana clade in having a larger snout-vent length.[4]

Ecology

Sitana visiri is endemic to the Tamil Nadu region of India where it lives in coastal sand dunes, grasslands, plains, and areas dominated by Prosopis juliflora.[2] S. visiri occurs in similar regions alongside Eutropis carinata, Eutropis bibronii, and Calotes versicolor.[2] S. virisi is a oviparous or egg laying species, with breeding males been observed in fall (September and October) and hatchlings observed in January.[2]

References

1. Narayanan, S. (2021). "Sitana visiri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T127902091A127935391. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T127902091A127935391.en. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
2. Sitana visiri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 April 2021.
3. Deepak, V.; Khandekar, Akshay; Varma, Sandeep; Chaitanya, R. (20 July 2016). "Description of a new species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from southern India". Zootaxa. 4139 (2): 167. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4139.2.2.
4. Deepak, V.; Giri, Varad B.; Asif, Mohammad; Dutta, Sushil Kumar; Vyas, Raju; Zambre, Amod M.; Bhosale, Harshal; Karanth, K. Praveen (9 March 2016). "Systematics and phylogeny of Sitana (Reptilia: Agamidae) of Peninsular India, with the description of one new genus and five new species". Contributions to Zoology. 85 (1): 67–111. doi:10.1163/18759866-08501004. ISSN 1875-9866.