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Coryphophylax Blyth 1860, is currently a monotypic agamid genus (Krishnan, 2005), endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A sister lineage to the S.E. Asian Aphaniotis. Found in tropical wet forests, but not in human habitation. Abundant; exhibits island wise size variation and sexual dimorphism. Occurrence is not reported from the Myanmar Andaman Islands (Cocos and Table Islands) due to lack of surveys. The genus is absent on Great Nicobar Island, with its southern most occurrence on the Island of Kondul. Tsunamis of December 2004 would have affected island wise distributions in the Nicobar Islands of several species and also their gene-flow.
[edit] Species
Map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; created by Shreyas Krishnan
[edit] References
- Blyth, E. 1860 J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 29: 23.
- Boulenger, G.A. 1885 Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp.
- Krishnan, S. 2005. PHYLOGENETIC STATUS AND SYSTEMATICS OF THE AGAMID CORYPHOPHYLAX BLYTH, 1861 (REPTILIA: SQUAMATA). unpublished Masters Thesis - University of Texas at Arlington.
- MOODY, S.M. 1980. Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeographical relationships of the genera in the family Agamidae (Reptilia: Lacertilia). PhD dissertation. University of Michigan.
