Kashmir rock agama | Laudakia tuberculata Gray, 1827
Kashmir rock agama is a species of lizard that belong to family agamidae which is found in India (West Himalaya, Kashmir, Punjab, Jammu (Doda, Bhaderwah, Rajouri, Batote, Ladakh, & Kishtwar) Uttar Pradesh & Himachal Pradesh), Nepal (Katmandu, Chitlong), Pakistan (North), Afghanistan (East) & China (Tibet).
Scientific classification
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Kingdom:
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Animalia
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Phylum:
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Chordata
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Class:
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Reptilia
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Order:
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Squamata
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Family:
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Agamidae
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Genus:
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Laudakia
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species:
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tuberculata
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Binomial name
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Laudakia tuberculata (Gray, 1827)
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Head of the species is observed
depressed where snout is longer than the distance of the orbit; nostrils
present on the lateral sides just below the canthus rostralis and are slightly tubular. Scales on the upper side of the head
are smooth or feebly keeled, occipital is not enlarged but bear a set
spine shaped scales on the sides of the head near the ear and on the neck.
Ears are larger in size than the
eye-opening & completely exposed. Throats of the individuals are strongly
plicate having no gular pouch. Body is depressed having more or less distinct
folds on the back; where
scales over the sides of neck are minute, somewhat granular, keeled & uniform
having scattered enlarged scales around; Scales of the vertebral region are
much enlarged, are equal, imbricate, and keeled having a very small sign of a
nuchal denticulation. Scales of the ventral sides are smooth which are nearly
as large as the scales of the vertebral region. Appendages of
the species are strong having compact digits, where the scales over the exterior
of the limbs are enlarged having strongly keeled toes; the third & fourth
finger of the species is equal or the fourth one may be slightly longer, the fifth
figure is extended beyond the first.
Tail
in these individuals are rounded, greatly
depressed towards the base & is covered with moderate sized keeled scales which
are arranged in rings. The length of the tail in these specimens is 2 to 3 times longer than the distance of snout to vent.
Males of
this species are having large patch of stiffened perianal scales & a blotch
of alike scales over the middle of the abdomen. Dorsally olive-brown in color marked
with blackish with small tinge of yellowish spots; while during the breeding seasons
the throats of male individuals appear blue or black looks like a band. The
species is a oviparous lizards which feeds on both plants and insects.
Literature
cited:
Ananjeva, N.B., and Tuniev (1994). Some aspects of
historical biogeography of Asian rock agamids. Russ. J. Herpetol., 1 (1): 43 - get paper here
Ananjeva, N.B., Xianguang, G.U.O., and Yuezhao W. (2011). Taxonomic Diversity of Agamid Lizards (Reptilia, Sauria, Acrodonta, Agamidae) from China: A Comparative Analysis. Asian Herpetological Research, 2 (3): 117-128 - get paper here
Bahuguna, A. (2008). Altitudinal variations in morphological characters of Laudakia tuberculata Hardwicke, and Gray, 1827 from western Himalayas (Uttarakhand), India. Russ. J. Herpetol., 15 (3):207-211 - get paper here
Baig, K.J., Philipp, W., Natalia, B. A., and Wolfgang B. (2012). A morphology-based taxonomic revision of Laudakia Gray, 1845 (Squamata: Agamidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 62 (2): 213-260 - get paper here
Boulenger, G.A. (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London. - get paper here
Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London. - get paper here
Boulenger, G.A., Annandale, N., Wall, F., and Regan, C.T. (1907). Reports on a collection of batrachia, reptiles and fish from Nepal and the western Himalayas. Lacertilia. Records of the Indian Museum, 1:149—155 - get paper here
Dodsworth, P.T.L. (1913). On the Habits of the Rock Lizard (Agama tuberculata). J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 22: 404 - get paper here
Duda, P.L. and Sahi, D.N. 1977. An uptodate checklist of herptiles of Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir University Review, 6 (10): 1-7.
Fischer, C.E.C. (1907). Aberration in Scales of regrown tail of Agama tuberculata, Grey. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc,. 18: 208 - get paper here
Gray, J.E. (1834). Illustrations of Indian Zoology, chiefly selected from the collection of Major - General Hardwicke. Vol. 2. London. - get paper here
Günther, A. (1864). The Reptiles of British India. Taylor & Francis, London. - get paper here
Hardwicke, T., and Gray, J.E. (1827). A synopsis of the species of saurian reptiles, collected in India by Major-General Hardwicke. Zoological Journal, London 3: 213-229 - get paper here
Kästle , W., Rai, K. and Schleich, H.H. (2013). FIELD GUIDE to Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal. ARCO-Nepal e.V., 625 pp. - get paper here
Khan, B., Ahmed, W., Ablimit, A., Fakhri, S., and Ali, H. (2012). Range extension of four highland agamid lizards in Shimshal Pamir, Pakistan. J. Arid Land, 4 (1): 77-84
Kumar, A., Shruti, S., Upma M., and Das, A. (2016). Laudakia tuberculata (Kashmir Rock Agama) Morphological anomaly. Herpetological Review, 47 (2): 300
Manhas, A., Raina, R. and Wanganeo, A. 2018. Observations of Agror Agamas, Laudakia agrorenisis (Stoliczka, 1872) (Sauria: Agamidae) in the Doda District, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Reptiles & Amphibians, 25(1):52-54
Manhas, A., Raina, R. and Wanganeo, A. 2018. Reptilian diversity and their distribution in theDistrict Doda of State Jammu & Kashmir, India. Reptiles & Amphibians, 25 (3):164-169.
Manhas, A., Raina, R., and Wanganeo, A., 2016. An assessment of reptilian diversity and their distribution in Jammu and Kashmir state from Jammu city in northern India: A case study. IJFBS 3: 20-23.
Murthy, T.S.N. and Sharma, B.D. 1979. Second report on the herpetofauna of Jammu and Kashmir. The snake, 11: 234-241.
Nanhoe, L.M.R., and Ouboter, P.E. (1987). The distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri region (Nepal). Zoologische Verhandelingen ,(240): 1-105 -get paper here
Sahi, D.N. 1979. A contribution to the herpetology of Jammu and Kashmir. Ph.D. Thesis submitted to University of Jammu (Unpublished).
Sahi, D.N. and Duda, P.L. 1985. A checklist and keys to the amphibians and reptiles of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. Bulletin of Chicago Herpetological Society, 20 (3-4): 86-97.
Sahi, D.N. and Duda, P.L. 1986. Affinities and distribution of amphibians and reptiles of Jammu and Kashmir state (India). Bulletin of Chicago Herpetological Society, 21(3-4): 84-88.
Saikia, U., Sharma, D.K., and Sharma, R.M. (2007). Checklist of the Reptilian fauna of Himachal Pradesh, India. Reptile Rap, (8): 6-9 - get paper here
Schmidt, K.P. (1926). Amphibians and Reptiles of the James Simpson-Roosevelt Asiatic Expedition. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 12: 167-173 - get paper here
Sindaco, R. and Jeremcenko, V.K. (2008). The reptiles of the Western Palearctic. Edizioni Belvedere, Latina, Italy. - get paper here
Singh, V., and Banyal, H.S. (2014). First Record of Kashmir Rock Agama (Laudakia tuberculata Hardwicke et Gray, 1827) from Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), India. Russ. J. Herpetol. 21 (3): 234-236 - get paper here
Smith, M.A. (1935). The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Reptiles and Amphibia, Vol. II. Sauria. Taylor and Francis, London.
Swan, L.W., and Leviton, A.E. (1962). The herpetology of Nepal: a history, check list, and zoogeographical analysis of the herpetofauna. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 32 (6) (4.s.): 103-147. - get paper here
Venugopal, P.D. (2010). An updated and annotated list of Indian lizards (Reptilia: Sauria) based on a review of distribution records and checklists of Indian reptiles. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 (3): 725-738. - get paper here
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