Added 16 January 2005.
A look at the Family Agamidae
Bronchocela
Slender Agamas, Crested Lizards, Bloodsuckers
Introduction
A group of agamids formerly included in the genus Calotes. There is an obvious resemblance between the two genera, but in Bronchocela the head and legs are usually longer and the dorsal scales smaller. Spiny or conical scales are absent on the occiput and curve of the eyebrow. Manthey and Schuster note that the individual species and indeed the sexes are difficult to determine. In the wild they prefer "bright, warm locales outside of dense forests" (Manthey and Schuster) but are also followers of civilisation.
Manthey and Schuster also note that these are not ideal terrarium subjects and consider them delicate and short-lived. They offer husbandry suggestions. Any imported individuals of this genus may be offered under the genus name Calotes.
| Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
| Bronchocela |
| B. celebensis |
Sulawesi Bloodsucker |
Indonesia (Sulawesi) |
|
|
| B. cristatella |
Green Crested Lizard, Indonesian Calotes |
Philippines |
87-107 mm SVL: max TL 44cm |
Distributed throughout the Philippines: found on trunks of forest trees, in arboreal ferns and on forest shrubs and along streams, and in coconut and garden trees. Tail is 3-5 times the SVL. Body is slender, with very long limbs. A small gular pouch is present. Scalation: 8-9 supralabials; nuchal crest of 8-9 pointed scales in both sexes; vertebral row is enlarged and strongly keeled, sometimes with the end of the keel slightly raised. Dorsal, lateral, ventral and head scales are also keeled. Dorsal rows: 66-74 at midbody. Other: 33-36 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe; the ear is large with the typanum near the surface. Coloration: variable and changeable, but overall may be green or green with large yellowish or brown blotches; possibly also indistinct dark or light transverse bars or several rows of light spots. Darker longitudinal lines may be present on the throat. Ventrally whitish, ivory or greyish. Reproduction: throat pouch of males may sometimes be reddish. 1-2 eggs laid. [SOURCE: Alcala, Manthey and Schuster] |
| B. danieli |
|
India (Nicobar Islands) |
|
|
| B. hayeki |
Sumatra Bloodsucker |
Indonesia (Sumatra) |
|
|
| B. jubata |
Maned Forest Lizard |
Indonesia (inc. Borneo, Bali, Java and Sulawesi), Philippines (Mindanao) |
13-15cm SVL, TL 44-45cm |
Found in trees and hedges: followers of civilisation. Tail is 3-5 times the SVL. Body is slender, with very long limbs. A small gular pouch is present. Coloration: variable and changeable, but overall green or green with yellow or red spots or vertical bars. Reproduction: 1-2 eggs laid. [SOURCE: Manthey and Schuster] |
| B. marmorata |
Marbled Bloodsucker /Philippine Calotes |
Philippines (Luzon, Polillo, Mindoro, Panay and Negros) |
105-123 mm SVL |
The range of the species today may be restricted to Luzon, specimens from the other islands having been reported by Taylor in the 1920s. Tail and limbs are very long. Nuchal and dorsal crests were present on the males available to Alcala (see closing remark). Scalation: 10 supralabials; 70-72 midbody scale rows; crests made up of 35-45 long pointed scales; 33-35 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe. Coloration: see closing remarks: Alcala's specimens were presumably preserved in alcohol so this would not give an accurate life description. [SOURCE: Alcala - NB based apparently on 2 specimens and Taylor's 1922 account, although Alcala describes this as a common species] |
| B. m. marmorata |
| B. m. sanchezi |
| B. orlovi |
Orlov's Forest Lizard |
S Vietnam |
|
|
| B. smaragdina |
Gunther's Bloodsucker |
Cambodia, C Vietnam |
|
|
Bibliography
Agamid Lizards, Ulrich Manthey and Norbert Schuster, TFH 1996 (originally published in German, 1992, as Agamen). Contains useful notes on the husbandry (and drawbacks) of captive Bronchocela.
Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna. Volume X, Amphibians and Reptiles, Prof. Angel C Alcala, Natural Resources Management Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources and University of the Philippines, 1986. Note that B. cristatella and B. marmorata are listed respectively in this work as Calotes cristatellatus and Calotes marmoratus.
Lizards of the World: A Checklist. 5: Agamidae, Chamaeleonidae, Cordylidae and Gerrhosauridae, K R G Welch, KCM Books, Somerset, England, 1994.
Links
A Guide to the Lizards of Borneo has some info on, and pictures of, B. cristatella and B. jubatus.
www.ecologyasia.com has a nice short page on B. cristatella.
Daniel Bennett's shots of the same species.
John Sullivan's interesting picture of the same species.
A French page with some pictures of B. jubatus.
Shreyas'/University of Texas/SSAR pictures of the Andamans and Nicobar Islands, including a shot of B. danieli.
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