''Sitana visiri'', the palm leaf fan-throated lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

region of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Etymology

The ''Sitana visiri''

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) A botanical name ...

is derived from the regional

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

language word for a hand-crafted fan made from palm leaf (also the source of the common name), because the

dewlap A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin or similar flesh that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. More loosely, it can be various similar structures in the neck area, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibu ...

of ''S. visiri'' resembles a local palm-leaf fan.

Description

''Sitana visiri'' can be distinguished from other members of

Sitana ''Sitana'' is a genus of lizards, collectively known as the fan-throated lizards, from the family Agamidae. They are found in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The genus comprises fourteen species, including several recently discovered specie ...

genus in the spinaecephalus clade by a strongly serrated dewlap with a large orange spot surrounded by extensive blue color. The dewlap of ''S. visiri'' extends up to 56% of its trunk, which is proportionally larger than that of '' Sitana ponticeriana'', '' S. bahiri'', and '' S. devakai''. ''S. visiri'' is differentiated from the species in the ponticeriana clade in having a larger snout-vent length.

Ecology

''Sitana visiri'' is

to the

region of

where it lives in coastal

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

, grasslands,

plains In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In ...

, and areas dominated by ''

Prosopis juliflora ''Prosopis juliflora'' ( es, bayahonda blanca, Cuji Venezuela, Trupillo Colombia, Aippia Wayuunaiki and long-thorn kiawe in Hawaii) is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. It is native to Mexico, South America ...

''. ''S. visiri'' occurs in similar regions alongside '' Eutropis carinata'', '' Eutropis bibronii'', and ''

Calotes versicolor The oriental garden lizard (''Calotes versicolor''), also called the eastern garden lizard, Indian garden lizard, common garden lizard, bloodsucker or changeable lizard, is an agamid lizard found widely distributed in indo-Malaya. It has also bee ...

''. ''S. virisi'' is a

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

or egg laying species, with breeding males been observed in fall (September and October) and hatchlings observed in January.

References

Sitana Reptiles of India Reptiles described in 2016 Taxa named by Veerappan Deepak {{agamidae-stub