Monilesaurus rouxii

{{Speciesbox

| image = Forest Calotes Calotes rouxii Male by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN4821 (1).jpg

| image_caption = Male.

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Srinivasulu, B. |author2=Srinivasulu, C. |author3=Vijayakumar, S.P. |author4=Ramesh, M. |author5=Ganesan, S.R. |date=2013 |title=Monilesaurus rouxii |volume=2013 |page=e.T172582A1346225 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172582A1346225.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

| genus = Monilesaurus

| species = rouxii

| authority = (A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837)Duméril AMC, Bibron G (1837). Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Tome quatrième [Volume 4]. Paris: Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret. 571 pp. + errata et emendanda. (Calotes rouxii, new species, pp. 407-408). (in French).

| synonyms = *Calotes rouxii
{{small|A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1837}}

Monilesaurus rouxii
{{small|— Pal et al., 2018}}

| synonyms_ref = {{EMBL species|genus=Monilesaurus|species=rouxii}} www.reptile-database.org.

}}

Monilesaurus rouxii, commonly known as Roux's forest lizard, Roux's forest calotes, or the forest blood sucker, is a species of arboreal, diurnal, agamid lizard, which is endemic to hills of peninsular India. In July 2018, it was proposed that the species should be transferred to the new genus Monilesaurus.{{Cite journal |last1=Pal |first1=Saunak |last2=Vijayakumar |first2=S.P. |last3=Shanker |first3=Kartik |last4=Jayarajan |first4=Aditi |last5=Deepak |first5=V. |date=2018 |title=A systematic revision of Calotes Cuvier, 1817 (Squamata: Agamidae) from the Western Ghats adds two genera and reveals two new species |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4482 |issue=3 |pages=401–450 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4482.3.1 |pmid=30313808 |name-list-style=amp }} (Monilesaurus rouxii, new combination, p. 427).

Etymology

The specific name, rouxii, is in honor of Jean Louis Florent Polydore Roux, who was a French painter and naturalist.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Calotes rouxii, p. 228).

Description

M. rouxii can attain a total length (including tail) of up to {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}}, but {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}} is more common. Its body has an olive-brown color, with a lighter belly, a dark band along the side of the head on to the neck, and dark lines radiating from the eye. The limbs are slender, with elongated toes. Two small groups of spines adorn each side of the neck.{{cite book|author=Günther ACLG|author-link=Albert Günther|title=The Reptiles of British India|year=1864|location=London|publisher=The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers)}} xxviii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Calotes rouxii, p. 142).{{cite book|author=Smith MA|author-link=Malcolm Arthur Smith|year=1935|title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria|publisher=Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers).|location=London}} xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. ("Calotes rouxi [sic]", pp. 206-207). In males, the upper part of the head, nape, and gular pouch become brick-red in the breeding season.

Distribution and habitat

Monilesaurus rouxii is endemic to hills of peninsular India, including the Western Ghats from Surat Dangs till Palghat; and parts of the Eastern Ghats (Shevaroys, Yelagiri, Melagiri, and in Malkangiri, Araku, Devarakonda) and hills of Deccan plateau (Bellary, Sandur). It has been reported largely from the wet hill forest tracts of peninsular India, except the far south. The species is generally widespread and common throughout its range. It can be found at elevations of {{convert|100|-|900|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, in forest habitats ranging from moist evergreen to secondary deciduous forests.

Ecology

M. rouxii is an insectivore, hunting during the day both on the ground and in trees. It is oviparous, breeding between April and September.{{cite journal|vauthors=Sreekar R, Saini K, Rao SN, Purushotham CB|year=2011|title=Predicting lizard gender: sexual dimporhism in Calotes rouxii (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Agumbe, Karnataka, India|journal=Herpetological Conservation and Biology|volume=6|issue=1|pages=75–80|url=http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_6/Issue_1/Sreekar_etal_2011.pdf}}

References

External links

{{cite web|url=http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Monilesaurus&species=rouxii|publisher=The Reptile Database|title=Monilesaurus rouxii (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1837)}}