Attenborough's fan-throated lizard

Sitana attenboroughii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Iguania
Family:Agamidae
Genus:Sitana
Species: S. attenboroughii
Binomial name
Sitana attenboroughii
Sadasivan, Kalesh; Ramesh, M. B.; Palot, Muhamed Jafer; Ambekar, Mayuresh; Mirza, Zeeshan A. 2018

Attenborough's fan-throated lizard (Sitana attenboroughii) is a species of fan-throated lizards in the genus Sitana found in coastal Kerala in southern India. This species was described in 2018 and is morphologically close to Sitana visiri, but has a higher numbers of ventral scales and a comparatively short but richly colored dewlap. The new species of fan-throated lizard was named after Sir David Attenborough.[1]

This species was identified in the coastal belt of the Thiruvanathapuram district in Kerala. It is the only fan-throated lizard species known from the state. It was found in the vicinity of Poovar, in a unique coastal micro-habitat of sand dunes and spiny grasses. As it is the only area in the region where this habitat type still remains, it is likely endemic to this small area. This makes it highly at risk from threats such as tourism development and fire.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Sadasivan, Kalesh; Ramesh, M. B.; Palot, Muhamed Jafer; Ambekar, Mayuresh; Mirza, Zeeshan A. (21 January 2018). "A new species of fan-throated lizard of the genus Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from coastal Kerala, southern India". Zootaxa. 4374 (4): 545–564. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4374.4.5. ISSN 1175-5334.
  2. ↑ George, Sarath Babu; George, Sarath Babu (2018-02-02). "New species of lizard discovered". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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