''Draco guentheri'', commonly known as Günther's flying lizard
[ is a ]species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of agamid
Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Overview
Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the I ...
"flying dragon" endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Geographic range
''D. guentheri'' is found on the islands of Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Re ...
, Bongao
Bongao, officially the Municipality of Bongao, is a 2nd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 116,118 ...
, Jolo
Jolo ( tsg, Sūg) is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has ...
, Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, Sanga-Sanga, Siasi
Siasi, officially the Municipality of Siasi ( Tausūg: ''Kawman sin Siasi''; tl, Bayan ng Siasi), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 67,705 people.
Geography
...
, and Simunul
Simunul, officially the Municipality of Simunul, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,245 people.
Geography
The municipality consists of 2 islands: the lar ...
.
Etymology
The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''guentheri'', is in honor of German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
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**Ger ...
-British
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Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
Albert Gunther
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Companies
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* Albert C ...
.[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Draco guentheri'', p. 110).]
Taxonomy
This species was originally described in 1885 by the Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger
George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...
, who named it ''Draco guentheri''.
This species is also notable for having been collected by the Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
national hero Jose Rizal
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galile ...
during his exile in Dapitan
Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According to ...
, Mindanao in 1893 and identified it as a new type of lizard in which he tentatively named, ''Draco dapitani''. Rizal sent specimens to Europe, to the German zoologist Benno Wandolleck
Benno Wandolleck (18 April 1864 – 1930) was a German sports shooter and zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the ani ...
. In 1900 Wandolleck, thinking Rizal's specimens represented a new species, described it and named it ''Draco rizali'', thereby creating a synonym. Rizal's specimens, subsequently, were destroyed during the bombing of Dresden in World War II
The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Roya ...
.
In 1936 Hennig considered this lizard to be part of what he called a subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
, ''Draco volans reticulatus''. In 1993 Gaulke raised it to full species status. And most recently, in 2000, McGuire and Alcala once again recognized Boulenger's original ''Draco guentheri'' as a valid species.
References
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).
rizali
Reptiles of the Philippines
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
Fauna of Basilan
Fauna of Sulu
Fauna of Tawi-Tawi
Fauna of Mindanao
Reptiles described in 1885
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
{{agamidae-stub