''Draco indochinensis'', also known as the Indochinese flying lizard or Indochinese gliding 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 ...

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 ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

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 ...

South-east Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

(Cambodia and southern Vietnam).

Description

It has earlier been considered

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

to or 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 ...

of ''

Draco blanfordii ''Draco blanfordii'', commonly known as Blanford's flying dragon, Blanford’s flying lizard, or Blanford's gliding lizard, is a species of "flying" lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Asia, and is capable of gliding from t ...

''. However, phylogenetic data and other supporting morphological features indicate that it is a separate species. . 220/ref> The dewlap of the male of this species is widest at its base and decreases in width over its entire length and terminates in a sharp point, as opposed to the distal expansion of the dewlap seen in ''Draco blanfordii''. This feature may be shared with other ''

Draco Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon. Draco or Drako may also refer to: People * Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived * ...

'' lizards. Both sexes have a thick, black transverse band that extends across the posterior

gular Gular is of or pertaining to the throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the pharynx and larynx. An important section of it is the epiglottis, separatin ...

region from one throat lappet to the other. Dark radial bands on the dorsal surface of the

patagia The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous Animal body, body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift (force), lift when gliding flight, gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant taxon, extant and extinct groups of flying and g ...

of both sexes is also another feature. The

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

is about . It has a moderately slender body and the nostrils are orientated upwards. The dorsal surface is mottled brownish-grey with darker speckling. The

patagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs ...

(winglike membrane) is dark brown near the edge and paler brown near the body, with six transverse pale-edged bands. The ventral surface is yellow or pinkish, with the gular pouch a creamy yellow anteriorly, and bluish-grey and black posteriorly. The underside of the patagium is yellowish-brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Draco indochinensis'' is native to southeastern and eastern Cambodia and southern Vietnam. It is found in evergreen forests at altitudes of up to . It is an arboreal species and seldom descends to the ground. Little is known of its diet and behaviour.

References

External links

Entry at the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3038504 indochinensis Lizards of Asia Reptiles of Cambodia Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles described in 1928 Taxa named by Malcolm Arthur Smith