The whistling lizard or Sri Lanka agama (''Calotes liolepis'') is a species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the family

Agamidae Agamidae is a family (biology), family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview phylogenetics, Phylogenetic ...

. It is one of seven Calotes species endemic to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Distribution

Restricted to submontane forests below 100m, and found in forested areas and plantations. Widely distributed, but apparently patchily distributed, in the central hills of Sri Lanka, including Knuckles,

Kotmale Kotmale ( si, කොත්මලේ, translit=Kotmalē; ta, கொத்மலை, translit=Kotmalai) is a village in Sri Lanka in Central Province. Kotmale forms part of a mountainous region that the Sinhalese kings left forested to generate su ...

Sinharaja Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to International Union for Conserv ...

Talawakele Talawakelle ( si, තලවාකැලේ, ta, தலவாக்கலை) is a town in Nuwara Eliya District in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is the center of Dimbula tea planting district, the largest tea ...

Hanguranketha Hanguranketha ( si, හඟුරන්කෙත, translit=Han̆guranketa; ta, அங்குரன்கெதை, translit=Aṅkuraṉketai) is a town in the Nuwara Eliya District, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is approximately southea ...

, Kanneliya,

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

, Dambulla,

Peradeniya Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය, translit=Pēradeniya; ta, பேராதனை, translit=Pērātaṉai) is a suburb of the city of Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a m ...

Namunukula Namunukula, literally "Nine Peaks" in Sinhala language, is the name of a mountain range in Sri Lanka's province of Uva. Its main peak is high. The nearby town is also sometimes called Namunukula Town. During the Ming treasure voyages of the 15 ...

, and Gampola.

Description

Head long. Tail long. A series of spines on nape make up the dorso-nuchal crest in males. Enlarged scales on dorsum of the body. Midbody scale rows 33–39. Ventral scales as large as those on flanks. Forehead pale brown, with pale inter-orbital bands. Dorsum pale gray with dark gray bands, numbering four on the body. Limbs and tail similarly dark-banded.

Ecology

Unusual among agamid lizards is its habit of uttering a high-pitched whistle when alarmed. It feeds on insects and ants. Gravid females are seen between July–August.

References

* http://biodiversityofsrilanka.blogspot.com/2013/10/whistling-lizardforest-lizardcalotes.html * http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Calotes&species=liolepis * http://www.wildreach.com/reptile/Sauria/Calotes%20liolepis.php * https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233971165_Natural_history_and_current_distribution_patterns_of_Calotes_liolepis_Boulenger_1885_(Reptilia_Agamidae_Draconinae)_in_Sri_Lanka Reptiles of Sri Lanka liolepis Reptiles described in 1885 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger {{agamidae-stub