Draco (genus)
| Draco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Draco taeniopterus Günther, 1861, from Bulon Island, Thailand. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Subfamily: | Agaminae |
| Genus: | Draco Linnaeus, 1758 |
Draco is a genus of agamid lizards that also are known as flying dragons. The ribs and their connecting membrane may be extended to create a wing, the hindlimbs are flattened and wing-like in cross-section, and a small set of flaps on the neck serve as a horizontal stabilizers. Draco are arboreal insectivores. While not capable of powered flight they often obtain lift in the course of their gliding flights. Glides as long as 60 m (200 ft) have been recorded, over which the animal loses only 10 m (33 ft) in height, which is quite some distance, considering that one of these lizards is only around 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length (tail included).[1]
Reproduction
The only time a flying lizard ventures to the ground is when a female is ready to lay her eggs. She descends the tree she is on and makes a nest hole by forcing her head into the soil. She then lays 2–5 eggs before filling the hole. She guards the eggs for approximately 24 hours, but then leaves and has nothing more to do with her offspring.[1]
Etymology
Linnaeus derived the name of this genus from the Latin term for mythological dragons.
Species
The following 42 species are recognized:[2][3]
- Draco abbreviatus Hardwicke & Gray, 1827
- Draco affinis Bartlett, 1895
- Draco beccarii W. Peters & Doria, 1878[4]
- Draco biaro Lazell, 1987
- Draco bimaculatus Günther, 1864
- Draco blanfordii Boulenger, 1885
- Draco boschmai Hennig, 1936
- Draco bourouniensis Lesson, 1834
- Draco caerulhians Lazell, 1992
- Draco cornutus Günther, 1864
- Draco cristatellus Günther, 1872
- Draco cyanopterus W. Peters, 1867
- Draco dussumieri A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837
- Draco fimbriatus Kuhl, 1820
- Draco formosus Boulenger, 1900
- Draco guentheri Boulenger, 1885
- Draco haematopogon Gray, 1831
- Draco indochinensis M.A. Smith, 1928
- Draco iskandari McGuire et al., 2007
- Draco jareckii Lazell, 1992
- Draco lineatus Daudin, 1802
- Draco maculatus (Gray, 1845)
- Draco maximus Boulenger, 1893
- Draco melanopogon Boulenger, 1887
- Draco mindanensis Stejneger, 1908
- Draco modiglianii Vinciguerra, 1892
- Draco norvillii Alcock, 1895
- Draco obscurus Boulenger, 1887
- Draco ornatus (Gray, 1845)
- Draco palawanensis McGuire & Alcala, 2000
- Draco quadrasi Boettger, 1893
- Draco quinquefasciatus Hardwicke & Gray, 1827
- Draco reticulatus Günther, 1864
- Draco rhytisma Musters, 1983
- Draco spilonotus Günther, 1872
- Draco spilopterus Wiegmann, 1834
- Draco sumatranus Schlegel, 1844
- Draco supriatnai McGuire et al., 2007
- Draco taeniopterus Günther, 1861
- Draco timorensis Kuhl, 1820
- Draco volans Linnaeus, 1758
- Draco walkeri Boulenger, 1891
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Draco.
Gliding
The lizards are well known for their "display structures" and ability to glide long distances using their wing-like, patagial membranes supported by elongated thoracic ribs to generate lift forces.[5]
See also
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Draco |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de.
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. iii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Draco beccarii, p. 21).
- ↑ Herre, Albert W. (1958). "On the Gliding of Flying Lizards, Genus Draco". Copeia 1958 (4): 338–339. JSTOR 1439979.
Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Draco. |
- Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR. 1978. Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman & Company. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. (Genus Draco, pp. 41, 86, 112, 279, 288).
- Inger, Robert F. (1983). Morphological and ecological variation in the flying lizards (Genus Draco). Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. (Fieldiana Zoology, New Series, No. 18). 33 pp.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, diferentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata. Stockholm: L. Salvius. 824 pp. (Genus Draco, p. 199).
- McGuire, J. A.; Dudley, R. (2011). "The Biology of Gliding in Flying Lizards (Genus Draco) and their Fossil and Extant Analogs". Integrative and Comparative Biology 51 (6): 983–90. doi:10.1093/icb/icr090. PMID 21798987.