''Leiolepis'', commonly known as butterfly lizards or butterfly agamas ( th, แย้), are group of agamid lizards.
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, Laos, Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...
(Japan), Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, and Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
(China). The genus includes both sexual
Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female.
Sex or SEX may also refer to:
Biology and behaviour
*Animal sexual behaviour
**Copulation (zoology)
**Human sexual activity
**Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse
** ...
and asexual species.genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of subfamily Leiolepidinae.
Description and ecology
''Leiolepis'' are moderately sized lizards with the largest snout-to-vent length of . Sexual species show sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...
. They are diurnal and live in flat, open areas with loose soil, which allows them to construct long, interconnected burrows used for refuge. They are omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...
.
Species
Ten species are recognized as being valid.[
*Sexual species:
**''L. belliana'' – common butterfly lizard
**''L. guttata'' – giant butterfly lizard, spotted butterfly lizard
**''L. ocellata'' – ocellated butterfly lizard
**''L. peguensis'' – Burmese butterfly lizard
**''L. reevesii'' – Chinese butterfly lizard, Reeves's butterfly lizard
**'' L. rubritaeniata'' – Reeves's butterfly lizard
*Asexual species:
**''L. boehmei'' – Böhme's butterfly lizard
**''L. guentherpetersi'' – Peters's butterfly lizard
**''L. ngovantrii'' – Ngo Van Tri's lady butterfly lizard]Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...
'': A binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Leiolepis''.
Asexual species have arisen through hybridization of sexually-reproducing species.
Consumption
In the northeast region of Thailand it is popular to catch butterfly lizards and eat them. In the South Central Coast
South Central Coast ( vi, Duyên hải Nam Trung Bộ, links=no) or (South Central Region) is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of the independent municipality of Đà Nẵng and seven other provinces. The two southern provinces Ninh ...
region of Vietnam, especially in Ninh Thuan Province, ''Leiolepis'' is considered a delicacy for its nutrional value and can fetch high prices on the market.
Diet
Butterfly Agamas commonly feast on insects (Worms, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers, larvae, beetles, moths) but can also eat fruits
(Watermelon, apple, mango, papaya, dates, peaches, apricot) and vegetables (Collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, green bean). In captivity their meals should be dusted with a vitamin D3 calcium.
Relationship to humans
Captivity
Butterfly lizards can commonly be found in the pet trade. Not much is known about their breeding or raising their babies so most of the ones found in the pet trade are wild caught.
Traditional game
In Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand, there is a traditional game called ''"yæ̂ lng rū"'' (แย้ลงรู; literally: "butterfly lizards hole down"
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q575093
Leiolepis
Lizard genera
Lizards of Asia
Taxa named by Georges Cuvier