''Leiolepis'', commonly known as butterfly lizards or butterfly agamas (), are group of agamid lizards. They are native to

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

(Japan),

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, and

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

(China). The genus includes both sexual and

asexual Asexual or Asexuals may refer to: *Asexual reproduction **Asexual reproduction in starfish *Asexuality, the lack of sexual attraction to anyone or lack of interest in or desire for sexual activity. **Gray asexuality, the spectrum between asexualit ...

species. ''Leiolepis'' is the sole

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of subfamily Leiolepidinae.

Description and ecology

''Leiolepis'' are moderately sized lizards with the largest snout-to-vent length of . Sexual species show

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

. They are diurnal and live in flat, open areas with loose soil, which allows them to construct long, interconnected burrows used for refuge. They are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

Species

Ten species are recognized as being valid. *Sexual species: **''L. belliana'' –

common butterfly lizard The common butterfly lizard (''Leiolepis belliana''), also called the butterfly agama or butterfly lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to Asia. Etymology The specific name, ''belliana'', is in honor of ...

**''L. guttata'' –

giant butterfly lizard The giant butterfly lizard (''Leiolepis guttata'') is a rarely seen species of lizard found in parts of Southeast Asia. It is the largest member of the genus ''Leiolepis ''Leiolepis'', commonly known as butterfly lizards or butterfly agamas ( ...

, spotted butterfly lizard **''L. ocellata'' –

ocellated butterfly lizard ''Leiolepis ocellata'', the ocellated butterfly lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Myanmar and Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a ...

**''L. peguensis'' – Burmese butterfly lizard **''L. reevesii'' – Chinese butterfly lizard, Reeves's butterfly lizard **'' L. rubritaeniata'' – Reeves's butterfly lizard **'' L. glaurung'' - Khorat Plateau Butterfly Lizard *Asexual species: **''L. boehmei'' – Böhme's butterfly lizard **''L. guentherpetersi'' – Peters's butterfly lizard **''L. ngovantrii'' – Ngo Van Tri's lady butterfly lizard **''L. triploida'' – Thai butterfly lizard, Malayan butterfly lizard ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Leiolepis''. Asexual species have arisen through hybridization of sexually-reproducing species.

Consumption

In the northeast region of Thailand it is popular to catch butterfly lizards and eat them. In the

South Central Coast In Vietnam, South Central Coast () and South Central Region () are two terms which can refer to the same region or two regions that do not correspond to each other. South Central Coast (sometimes called "South Central Region") consists of the i ...

region of Vietnam, especially in Ninh Thuan Province, ''Leiolepis'' is considered a delicacy for its nutritional value and can fetch high prices on the market.

Diet

Butterfly Agamas commonly feast on insects (Worms, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers, larvae, beetles, moths) but can also eat fruits (Watermelon, apple, mango, papaya, dates, peaches, apricot) and vegetables (Collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, green bean). In captivity their meals should be dusted with a vitamin D3 calcium.

Relationship to humans

Captivity

Butterfly lizards can commonly be found in the pet trade. Not much is known about their breeding or raising their babies so most of the ones found in the pet trade are wild caught.

Traditional game

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province Prachuap Khiri Khan (, ) is one of the western Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It is in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some south of Bangkok. Neighboring provinces include Phetchaburi province, Phetchabu ...

, Thailand, there is a traditional game called ''"yæ̂ lng rū"'' (แย้ลงรู; literally: "butterfly lizards hole down").

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q575093 Leiolepis Lizard genera Lizards of Asia Taxa named by Georges Cuvier