Common butterfly lizard

Common butterfly lizard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Agamidae
Subfamily: Leiolepidinae
Genus: Leiolepis
Species: L. belliana
Binomial name
Leiolepis belliana
(Hardwicke & Gray, 1827)[1]
Synonyms
  • Uromastix belliana
    Hardwicke & Gray, 1827
  • Leiolepis bellii Gray, 1845
  • Leiolepis belliana Boulenger, 1890[2]

The common butterfly lizard (Leiolepis belliana), or simply butterfly lizard, is a widespread species native to Asia.

Etymology

The specific name, belliana, is in honor of English zoologist Thomas Bell.[3]

Geographic range

It can be found in the forests of Indochina, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Description

It is known for the beautiful patterns on its back and sides. It has yellow spots on its back, and small orange and black lines on its sides.

Invasive species

This species has been introduced into the United States, in Florida. It seems to have an established population there.

Habitat

It lives on land that has been prepared for agricultural uses, as well as open sandy land along the coasts.

References

  1. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Boulenger GA. 1890. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Leiolepis belliana, pp. 156-157).
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Leiolepis belliana, p. 22).

Further reading

Gallery

External link

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