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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: October 9th, 2024.


Taxonomy of the family Agamidae
Bibliography of the genus Calotes
Biodiversity of the family Agamidae








Genus
Calotes

South Asian Forest Agamas, Forest Lizards, Garden Lizards, Tree Agamas, Variable Lizards, Varied Lizards, Blood-suckers

Schönechsen

Pragtagamer

1817 Calotes Cuvier (type species: Lacerta calotes Linnaeus 1758)
1856 Brachysaura Blyth (type species: Brachysaura ornata Blyth 1856; syn. Deepak, Vyas, Giri & Karanth 2015)
1864 Oriocalotes Günther (type species: Calotes minor Gray 1845; syn. Giri, Chaitanya, Mahony, Lalronunga, Lalrinchhana, Das, Sarkar, Karanth & Deepak 2019)
1870 Oreocalotes Jerdon [substitute name for Oriocalotes Günther 1864] (syn. Wermuth 1965)
1997 Complicitus Manthey & Grossmann (type species: Calotes nigrigularis Ota & Hikida 1991)
Contents: 34 species, of which 21 (61.8%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Remarks: Previously included Pseudocalotes (e.g. Wermuth 1967), and the species now assigned to Microauris and Monilesaurus. Includes C. minor, formerly assigned to a separate, monotypic genus, Brachysaura, and C. paulus, formerly assigned to a separate, monotypic genus, Oriocalotes.
Distribution: S. Asia, Malay Archipelago.
Reported from: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Hunan, Macau, Tibet, Yunnan), India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands [Andaman Islands], Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal), Indonesia (Ambon, Natuna Islands), Iran, Laos, Malaysia (Sabah, West Malaysia [incl. Langkawi Archipelago, Penang Island]), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam (incl. Con Dao Islands [incl. Con Son]).

Calotes bachae

Eastern Blue Crested Agama

Östliche Blaue Schönechse

Østlig Blå Pragtagam

2013 Calotes bachae Hartmann, Geissler, Poyarkov, Ihlow, Galoyan, Rödder & Böhme

Remarks: Previously regarded as eastern populations of mystaceus.
Distribution: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.


Calotes bhutanensis

Bhutanese Tree Agama, Bhutanese Calotes, Bhutan Beaty Lizard

Bhutan-Schönechse

Bhutanesisk Pragtagam

1976 Calotes bhutanensis Biswas

Remarks: Although reported from India by Tikader & Sharma (1992), there are no verified records from the country (Venugopal 2010).
Distribution: Bhutan.


Calotes calotes

Southern Green Tree Agama, Common Green Tree Agama, Green Forest Lizard, Common Tree Agama, Southern Green Tree Agama, Sawback Agama, (Malabar Green Calotes)

Sägerückenagame

Sydlig Grøn Pragtagam

1758 Lacerta calotes Linnaeus
Iguana calotes Laurenti 1768
Agama calotes Daudin 1802
Calotes calotes Wagler 1830
1820 Agama lineata Kuhl (Wermuth 1967)
1820 Agama ophiomachus Merrem (Wermuth 1967)

Remarks: Reports from the Nicobar Islands are considered erroneous (Das 1999). Presence in Gujarat (e.g., Vyas 2011) is also considered erroneous, since it was not listed for the state by Patel & Vyas (2019).
Distribution: India (Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Tamil Nadu), Sri Lanka.


Calotes calotes
© Rune Midtgaard

Calotes ceylonensis

Painted-lipped Tree Agama, Painted-lipped Lizard, Ceylon Bloodsucker

Ceylon-Schönechse

Rødlæbet Pragtagam

1887 Calotes mystaceus var. ceylonensis Müller
Calotes ceylonensis Boulenger 1890
1887 Calotes kelaartii Nevill (Wermuth 1967)
1896 Calotes saleoides Werner (Wermuth 1967)

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes chincollium

Collared Forest Agama, Chin Hills Garden Lizard

Chin Berge-Schönechse

Chin Hills-pragtagam

2003 Calotes chincollium Vindum, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein & Tun

Distribution: Myanmar.


Calotes desilvai

Sri Lankan Spotted Tree Agama, Maculate Lizard, (De Silva's Tree Agama)

De Silvas Schönechse

Srilankansk Plettet Pragtagam

2005 Calotes desilvai Bahir & Maduwage

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes emma

Forest Crested Agama, Forest Crested Lizard, Forest Garden Lizard, Black-banded Garden Lizard, Spiny-headed Forest Lizard, (Emma Forest Lizard, Light Olive Assam Garden Lizard)

Wald-Schönechse, (Emmas Schönechse)

Skov-pragtagam

1845 Calotes emma Gray
1927 Calotes alticristatus Schmidt (Wermuth 1967)
Calotes emma alticristata Taylor 1963

Other common names:
alticristatus: Northern Forest Crested Lizard
emma: Southern Forest Crested Lizard
Distribution: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan), India (Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura), Laos, Malaysia (West Malaysia [incl. Langkawi Archipelago]), Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam (incl. Con Dao Islands: Con Son).


Calotes emma
© Henrik Bringsøe

Calotes farooqi

Pakistani Crested Agama

Pakistanische Schönechse

Pakistansk Pragtagam

1993 Calotes versicolor nigrigularis Auffenberg & Rehman [not Calotes nigrigularis Ota & Hikida 1991]
1995 Calotes versicolor farooqi Auffenberg & Rehman [substitute name for Calotes versicolor nigrigularis Auffenberg & Rehman 1993]
Calotes farooqi Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021

Distribution: Afghanistan, Pakistan.





Calotes geissleri

Sagaing Blue Crested Agama

Westburmesische Blaue Schönechse

Vestburmesisk Blå Pragtagam

2021 Calotes geissleri Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme

Remarks: Previously regarded as populations of mystaceus (Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme 2021). Records of mystaceus from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Mizoram are tentatively assigned to geissleri, pending confirmation.
Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland), Myanmar, Thailand.


Calotes geissleri
© Henrik Bringsøe

Calotes goetzi

Cambodian Blue Crested Agama

Kambodschanische Blaue Schönechse

Cambodiansk Blå Pragtagam

2021 Calotes goetzi Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme

Remarks: Previously regarded as populations of mystaceus (Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme 2021).
Distribution: Cambodia, China (Yunnan), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand.


Calotes goetzi
© Rune Midtgaard

Calotes grandisquamis

Large-scaled Forest Agama, Bramagherry Green Calotes

Grossschuppen-Schönechse

Storskællet Pragtagam

1875 Calotes grandisquamis Günther

Distribution: India (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Calotes htunwini

Chatthin Forest Agama, (Htunwin's Forest Lizard)

Htun Wins Schönechse

Chatthin-pragtagam

2006 Calotes htunwini Zug & Vindum in Zug, Brown, Schulte & Vindum

Distribution: Myanmar.


Calotes iadina

Emerald Tree Agama

Smaragd-Schönechse

Smaragd-pragtagam

2024 Calotes iadina Wang, Deepak & Grismer in Wang, Deepak, Das, Grismer, Liu & Che

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of jerdoni.
Distribution: Myanmar.





Calotes irawadi

Ayeyarwady Forest Agama

Ayeyarwady-Schönechse

Ayeyarwady-pragtagam

2006 Calotes irawadi Zug, Brown, Schulte & Vindum

Distribution: Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Hunan, Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura), Myanmar, Vietnam.


Calotes jerdoni

Eastern Green Tree Agama, Montane Green Tree Agama, (Jerdon's Forest Lizard, Jerdon's Tree Agama, Khasi Hill Garden Lizard)

Jerdons Schönechse

Østlig Grøn Pragtagam

1870 Calotes jerdoni Günther
1905 Calotes yunnanensis Annandale (Wermuth 1967)

Remarks: Records from Tibet (e.g., Zhao & Adler 1993; Ananjeva, Guo & Wang 2011) refer to Japalura tricarinata (Schleich & Kästle (eds.) 2002; Manthey 2008). There is a questionable, unvouchered record from Uttar Pradesh (Kanaujia, Kumar & Kumar 2017), which is disregarded herein, since all other records of this species are far to the east of this state.
Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland), Myanmar.


Calotes liocephalus

Crestless Tree Agama, Crestless Lizard, (Lionhead Agama)

Löwenkopf-Schönechse

Glathovedet Pragtagam

1872 Calotes liocephalus Günther

Remarks: A record from Lakshadweep (Rao 1991), India, is regarded as questionable. If the record is valid, it is most like an introduction.
Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes liolepis

Whistling Tree Agama, Whistling Lizard

Sri Lanka-Schönechse

Glatskællet Pragtagam

1885 Calotes liolepis Boulenger

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes liolepis
© Rune Midtgaard

Calotes manamendrai

Riverstone Tree Agama, (Knuckles Tree Agama, Manamendra-Arachchi's Whistling Lizard)

Riverstone-Schönechse

Riverstone-pragtagam

2014 Calotes manamendrai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna & Fujinuma

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes maria

Assam Forest Agama, Assam Garden Lizard, Khasi Hills Forest Lizard, (Maria's Forest Lizard)

Khasi-Hills-Schönechse

Assam-pragtagam

1845 Calotes maria Gray
1852 Calotes platyceps Blyth (Wermuth 1967)

Distribution: Bhutan, India (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh).


Calotes medogensis

Medog Forest Agama

Medog-Schönechse

Medog-pragtagam

1984 Calotes medogensis Zhao & Li

Distribution: China (Tibet).


Calotes minor

Short-tailed Ground Agama, Gujarat Dwarf Agama, Lesser Agama

Kurzschwanz-Erdagame

Korthalet Jordagam

1827 Agama minor Hardwicke & Gray
Charasia minor Theobald 1876
Acanthosaura minor Boulenger 1890
Brachysaura minor Koul & Murphy 1979
Laudakia minor Das 1996
Calotes minor Deepak, Vyas, Giri & Karanth 2015
1856 Brachysaura ornata Blyth (Wermuth 1967)
Charasia ornata Boulenger 1885

Remarks: Although the type locality is in Bangladesh, presence of minor in that country is doubtful (Deepak, Vyas, Giri & Karanth 2015). A record from Odisha (Chakraborty & Dasgupta 2009) refer to Psammophilus cf. blanfordanus (Deepak, Vyas, Giri & Karanth 2015). Not mentioned for Punjab by Singh, Dutta & Singh (2021).
Distribution: India (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh), Pakistan.


Calotes mystaceus

Ayeyarwady Blue Crested Agama, (Western Blue Crested Agama, Blue Crested Lizard, Blue Forest Lizard, Blue Garden Lizard, Moustached Lizard, Olivaceous Garden Lizard, Indochinese Forest Lizard)

Südburmesische Blaue Schönechse, (Westliche Blaue Schönechse)

Sydburmesisk Blå Pragtagam, (Vestlig Blå Pragtagam)

1837 Calotes mystaceus Dumeril & Bibron

Remarks: Now restricted to southern Myanmar. Previously included the populations now assigned to bachae, geissleri, goetzi, and vindumbarbatus. Reports from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are considered erroneous, as no voucher specimens exist (Das 1999).
Introduced to: USA (Florida).
Distribution: Myanmar.

Calotes nemoricola

Nilgiri Forest Agama, Nilgiri Garden Lizard

Nilgiri-Schönechse

Nilgiri-pragtagam

1853 Calotes nemoricola Jerdon

Distribution: India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu).


Calotes nigrigularis

Black-throated Forest Agama, Kinabalu Forest Agama

Schwarzkehl-Taschenagam

Sortstrubet Pragtagam

1991 Calotes nigrigularis Ota & Hikida
Complicitus nigrigularis Manthey & Grossmann 1997

Remarks: Status uncertain. Some authors have placed it in a separate, monotypic genus, Complicitus (e.g., Manthey & Grossmann 1997; Manthey & Denzer 2000; Iskandar & McGuire 2018).
Distribution: Malaysia (Sabah).


Calotes nigrilabris

Black-lipped Tree Agama, Black-lipped Lizard

Schwarzlippen-Schönechse

Sortlæbet Pragtagam

1860 Calotes nigrilabris Peters
Otocryptis nigrilabris Peters 1864

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes nigrilabris
© Henrik Bringsøe

Calotes nigriplicatus

Black-shouldered Tree Agama

Schwarzschulter-Schönechse

Sortskuldret Pragtagam

2000 Calotes nigriplicatus Hallerman

Distribution: Indonesia (Ambon).


Calotes paulus

Northern Lesser Forest Agama, Pygmy Forest Lizard, Small Forest Lizard, Dwarf Calotes, (Khasi Hills Forest Lizard)

Nördlicher Zwergwaldagame

Nordlig Dværgskovagam

1845 Calotes minor Gray [misinterpretation of Agama minor Hardwicke & Gray 1827] (Wermuth 1967)
Acanthosaura minor Boulenger 1885
1935 Oriocalotes paulus Smith
Calotes paulus Giri, Chaitanya, Mahony, Lalronunga, Lalrinchhana, Das, Sarkar, Karanth & Deepak 2019

Remarks: Currently known with certainty only from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India (Giri, Chaitanya, Mahony, Lalronunga, Lalrinchhana, Das, Sarkar, Karanth & Deepak 2019). Several other distribution records have been published, but they all need confirmation. These include Tibet (Zhao & Adler 1993; Rao 2000; Ananjeva, Guo & Wang 2011), Arunachal Pradesh, India (Sanyal & Gayen 2006), Assam, India (Tikader & Sharma 1992), and Sikkim, India (Zhao & Adler 1993).
Distribution: India (Meghalaya).


Calotes pethiyagodai

Midland Tree Agama, (Knuckles Crestless Agama, Pethiyagoda's Crestless Lizard)

Midland-Schönechse

Midland-pragtagam

2014 Calotes pethiyagodai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Hallermann, Fujinuma, Grillitsch & Cambell

Distribution: Sri Lanka.


Calotes versicolor

South Indian Crested Agama, Oriental Crested Agama, Oriental Garden Lizard, Indian Garden Lizard, Indian Bloodsucker, Garden Fence Lizard, Changeable Lizard, Red-headed Lizard

Südindische Schönechse, Verschiedenfarbige Schönechse, Gewöhnliche Schönechse, Blutsaugeragame

Sydindisk Pragtagam, Almindelig Pragtagam, Indisk Pragtagam

1802 Agama versicolor Daudin
Calotes versicolor Fitzinger 1826
1820 Agama tiedemanni Kuhl (Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021)
1844 Calotes cristatus Jaqucmont (Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021)
1846 Calotes viridis Gray (Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021)

Remarks: Restricted to southern India by Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker (2021), which leaves the remaining populations as taxonomically unresolved. Records of versicolor from these populations are retained as versicolor herein, pending further studies to clarify their status. Previously included farooqi as well as the populations now assigned to vultuosus and wangi. Known from a single specimen from Oman, which was probably introduced (Arnold 1986). Records from Afghanistan (e.g., Wermuth 1967; Leviton & Anderson 1970; Sindaco & Jeremchenko 2008; Wagner, Bauer, Leviton, Wilms & Böhme 2016) are provisionally referred to farooqi, pending morphological and genetic confirmation. Records from Pakistan, outside the range of farooqi, and Iran are provisionally retained as versicolor, although these populations are likely to represent other species (see Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021).
Introduced to: Brunei, Chagos Archipelago, Indonesia (Sulawesi, Sumatra), Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Oman, Reunion, Seychelles, Singapore, USA (Florida).
Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Hunan, Macau, Yunnan), India (Andaman & Nicobar Islands [Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands], Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal), Indonesia (Natuna Islands), Iran, Laos, Malaysia (West Malaysia [incl. Penang Island]), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.


Calotes versicolor
© Rune Midtgaard

Calotes vindumbarbatus

Kachin Blue Crested Agama

Nordburmesische Blaue Schönechse

Nordburmesisk Blå Pragtagam

2021 Calotes vindumbarbatus Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme

Remarks: Previously regarded as populations of mystaceus (Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Böhme 2021).
Distribution: Myanmar.





Calotes vultuosus

Kolkata Crested Agama

Kolkata-Schönechse

Kolkata-pragtagam

1825 Agama vultuosa Harlan
Calotes vultuosus Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021
1827 Agama indica Gray (syn. Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker 2021)

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of versicolor (e.g., Wermuth 1967). Revalidated as a separate species by Gowande, Pal, Jablonski, Masroor, Phansalkar, Dsouza, Jayarajan & Shanker (2021).
Distribution: India (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal).





Calotes wangi

Chinese Crested Agama, (Wang's Garden Lizard)

Chinesische Schönechse

Kinesisk Pragtagam

2023 Calotes wangi Huang, Li, Wang, Li, Hou & Cai
2023 Calotes wangi hainanensis Huang, Li, Wang, Li, Hou & Cai

Remarks: Previously regarded as a population of versicolor (e.g., Smith 1935; Zhao & Adler 1993).
Distribution: China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Hunan, Macao), Vietnam.





Calotes yunnanensis

Yunnan Green Tree Agama

Yunnan-Schönechse

Yunnan-pragtagam

1905 Calotes yunnanensis Annandale

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of jerdoni (e.g., Wermuth 1967). Revalidated by Wang, Deepak, Das, Grismer, Liu & Che (2024).
Distribution: China (Yunnan), Myanmar.





Calotes zolaiking

Mizoram Lesser Forest Agama, Mizoram Montane Forest Lizard

Mizoram-Zwergwaldagame

Mizoram-dværgskovagam

2019 Calotes zolaiking Giri, Chaitanya, Mahony, Lalrounga, Lalrinchhana, Das, Sarkar, Karanth & Deepak

Distribution: India (Mizoram).