''Ctenophorus tjantjalka'', also known as the ochre dragon,
[Wilson, S., Swan, G. (2013) ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia'', New Holland Publishers, Sydney, New South Wales, ] is a species of
agamid lizard occurring on low, weathered, crumbling outcrops and stony hills in arid
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, from the
Painted Hills
The Painted Hills is a geologic site in Wheeler County, Oregon that is one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument along with Sheep Rock and Clarno. It totals and is located northwest of Mitchell, Oregon. The Painted H ...
north-west to the base of the
Everard Ranges
The Everard Ranges, officially known as The Everard Ranges, is a range of low rounded granite hills located in the Australian state of South Australia in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands about west of Mintabie. It is of P ...
.
Taxonomy
''Ctenophorus tjantjalka'' is a saxicolous ecomorph, agamid lizard, belonging to the ''
Ctenophporus decresii'' group.
Description
''C. tjantjalka or Ochre Dragon'' is characterized as a robust, moderate-sized lizard which differs from other Ctenophorus species on the basis of having the smallest snout length (73mm), lack of banding on tail, and presence of vertebral keel. The body of the lizard is depressed with proportionately large forelimbs.
Habitat And Distribution
The physical and behavioral traits of the Ctenophorus species vary depending on their respective habitats within Australia. This lizard inhabits the interior regions of South Australia, widespread between the
Idulkana Range and
Oodnadatta
Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta Track, an outback road ...
in the North, and
Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy () is a town in northern South Australia, north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. Coober Pedy is ...
and
Davenport Range in the South.
All specimens are found located either within or at close proximity to rocky areas.
Behavior And Diet
Members of the ''C. Decresii'' Species group portray sexually dimorphic dorsal coloration. Male ''C. Tjantjalka'' are uniform light blue with salmon flanks and lack the dark lateral bands on the tail, while females have presence of pale spots.
They feed on ants in arid zones. Ants constitute of majority of the diet by percentage, while grasshoppers, termites, hermipterans, scorpions, spiders, beetles, and wasps are eaten in a smaller amount.
Common Predators of the Ctenophorus are Brown falcons, Australian Kestrels, Bustards, Large snakes and the monitor lizards.
References
tjantjalka
Agamid lizards of Australia
Endemic fauna of Australia
Reptiles described in 1992
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