Draco guentheri
| Draco guentheri | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Subfamily: | Draconinae |
| Genus: | Draco |
| Species: | D. guentheri |
| Binomial name | |
| Draco guentheri Boulenger, 1885 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Draco guentheri, commonly known as Günther's flying lizard[2] or Guenther's flying lizard,[1] is a species of agamid "flying dragon" endemic to the Philippines.
Geographic range
D. guentheri is found on the islands of Basilan, Bongao, Jolo, Mindanao, Sanga-Sanga, Siasi, and Simunul.
Etymology
The specific name, guentheri, is in honor of German-British zoologist Albert Gunther.[1][2]
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. 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 a synonym. Rizal's specimens, subsequently, were destroyed during the bombing of Dresden in World War II.[3]
In 1936 Hennig considered this lizard to be part of what he called a subspecies, 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
- 1 2 3 Uetz, Peter; Hallermann, Jakob; Hosek, Jiri. "Draco guentheri BOULENGER, 1885". The Reptile Database. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- 1 2 Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Draco guentheri, pp. 110-111).
- ↑ Fadul, José A., ed. (2007). Encyclopedia Rizaliana: Student Edition. Lulu. p. 32. ISBN 1430311428.
Further reading
- Boulenger G. 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).