Draco guentheri
Draco guentheri, commonly known as Günther's flying lizard[3] is a species of "flying dragon" in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to the Philippines.
| Draco guentheri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | Draco |
| Species: | D. guentheri |
| Binomial name | |
| Draco guentheri Boulenger, 1885 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Geographic range
In the Philippines D. guentheri is found on the islands of Basilan, Bongao, Jolo, Mindanao, Sanga-Sanga, Siasi, and Simunul.[1][2]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of D. guentheri is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[1]
Etymology
The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-British zoologist Albert Gunther.[2][3]
Taxonomy
This species was originally described in 1885 by the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger, who named it Draco guentheri.
This species is also notable for having been collected by the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal during his exile in Dapitan, Mindanao in 1893. Rizal identified it as a new species of lizard which he tentatively named, Draco dapitani. Rizal sent specimens to Europe, to the German zoologist Benno Wandolleck. In 1900 Wandolleck, thinking Rizal's specimens represented a new species, described it and named it Draco rizali, thereby creating another synonym. Rizal's specimens, subsequently, were destroyed during the bombing of Dresden in World War II.[4]
In 1936 German zoologist Willi Hennig considered this lizard to be part of what he called a subspecies, Draco volans reticulatus. In 1993 German herpetologist Gaulke raised it to full species status as Draco reticulatus. And most recently, in 2000, American herpetologist Jimmy McGuire and Filipino herpetologist Angel Alcala once again recognized Boulenger's original Draco guentheri as a valid species.
References
- Realubit N, Kim P (2022). "Draco guentheri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T169839A180188865.en.Accessed on 27 October 2023.
- Uetz, Peter; Hallermann, Jakob; Hošek, Jiří. "Draco guentheri BOULENGER, 1885". The Reptile Database. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- 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. (Draco guentheri, p. 110).
- Fadul, José A., ed. (2007). Encyclopedia Rizaliana: Student Edition. Morrisville, South Carolina: Lulu Press. p. 32. ISBN 1430311428.
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ, Eublepharidæ, Uroplatidæ, Pygopodidæ, Agamidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I- XXXII. (Draco guentheri, new species, pp. 257–258 + Plate XX, Figure 2).
- McGuire JA, Alcala AC (2000). "A Taxonomic Revision of the Flying Lizards (Iguania: Agamidae: Draco) of the Philippine Islands, with a Description of a New Species". Herpetological Monographs 14: 81–138. (Draco guentheri, p. 100).