Leiolepis
| Leiolepidinae (subfamily) Leiolepis (genus) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Common butterfly lizard, L. belliana | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Subfamily: | Leiolepidinae |
| Genus: | Leiolepis Cuvier, 1829 |
| Species | |
|
8 spp., see text | |
Leiolepis, commonly known as butterfly lizards or butterfly agamas (Thai: แย้), are group of agamid lizards of which very little is known. They are native to Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. They are terrestrial lizards and prefer to live in arid, open regions.
Leiolepis is the sole genus of subfamily Leiolepidinae.
Species
At least eight species are recognized:[1][2][3]
Sexual species
- Common butterfly lizard – L. belliana (Hardwicke & Gray, 1827)
- Giant butterfly lizard, spotted butterfly lizard – L. guttata Cuvier, 1829
- Burmese butterfly lizard – L. peguensis G. Peters, 1971
- Chinese butterfly lizard, Reeves' butterfly lizard – L. reevesii (Gray, 1831)
- L. rubritaeniata Mertens, 1961
Asexual species
- Böhme’s butterfly lizard – L. boehmei Darevsky & Kupriyanova, 1993
- Peters’ butterfly lizard – L. guentherpetersi Darevsky & Kupriyanova, 1993
- Ngo Van Tri's lady butterfly lizard – L. ngovantrii J. Grismer & L. Grismer, 2010[3]
- Thai butterfly lizard, Malayan butterfly lizard – L. triploida G. Peters, 1971
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Leiolepis.
Relationship to humans
Captivity
Butterfly lizards are popular in the pet trade.
Edible
In the northeast region of Thailand it is popular catch butterfly lizards and to eat them as local cuisine.[4]
Traditional game
In Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand, there is a traditional game called "yæ̂ lng rū" (แย้ลงรู; literally: "butterfly lizards hole down"[5]).
References
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Leiolepis |
- ↑ Leiolepis, The Reptile Database
- ↑ Leiolepis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
- 1 2 Grismer, J.L. and Grismer, L.L. 2010. Who’s your mommy? Identifying maternal ancestors of asexual species of Leiolepis Cuvier, 1829 and the description of a new endemic species of asexual Leiolepis Cuvier, 1829 from Southern Vietnam. Zootaxa. 2433: 47–61. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02433p061f.pdf
- ↑ "ชาวมหาสารคามแห่จับแย้-กะปอม ทำเมนูเด็ด 'ผัดกะเพราแย้' กินเองลดค่าใช้จ่าย". PPTV (in Thai). 28 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ↑ "แย้ลงรู". Ministry of Culture (in Thai). Retrieved 5 June 2013.