Agasthyagama

Agasthyagama
Agasthyagama beddomii
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Subfamily: Draconinae
Genus:
Srikanthan, Adhikari, Ganesh, Deuti, Das, Kulkarni, Gowande, & Shanker, 2021
Type species
Otocryptis beddomii
Boulenger, 1885
Synonyms

Otocryptis in part

Agasthyagama is a genus of agamid lizards known as kangaroo lizards that are endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Two species are known.[1]

The type species A. beddomii was formerly placed in the genus Otocryptis which has two species Otocryptis wiegmanni Wagler, 1830 from the wet zone of Sri Lanka and Otocryptis nigristigma Bahir & Silva, 2005 from dry forests. A DNA phylogeny study found that the Sri Lankan species O. wiegmanni was closer to the peninsular Indian genus Sitana than to A. beddomii which led to the establishment of the new genus. A. beddomii is found largely to the south of the Shencottah Gap while A. edge was found in Idukki.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Das, Sandeep; Pal, Saunak; Narayanan, Surya; Subin, K.; Palot, Muhamed Jafer; Rajkumar, K. P.; Deepak, V. (25 January 2024). "Discovery of a new species of kangaroo lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Agasthyagama) from the southern Western Ghats of India". Vertebrate Zoology. 74: 151–168. doi:10.3897/vz.74.e113084. ISSN 2625-8498.