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Laudakia stellio stellio (Hardun) #1


Laudakia stellio stellio (Hardun) #1
Photo Information
Copyright: Bayram Gocmen (boreocypriensis) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5371 W: 188 N: 14149] (38788)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-04-26
Categories: Reptiles
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Turkish Herpetofauna, RARE or SIGNIFICANT contributions to TN 3, Reptiles - Lizards, Chuckwallas, Agamas & Tegus 3, Syrian Herpetofauna [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-04 2:05
Viewed: 3924
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Laudakia stellio stellio (Spiny Lizard, Starred Agama or Hardun)(in Turk. Dikenli Keler, in Cyp. Turk. Gurkuda)

A middle-sized agamid lizard with a moderately depressed body. Total length reaches up to 35 cm, or slightly longer. The flat and triangular head is covered with asymmetrically distributed small scales and plates. Snout is longer than the distance eye-tympanum. Pupils are round. Spiny scales on the neck and sides of the head. The dorsum is covered with small and large scales. Ventral scales are smooth, callous glands, which are present in males, consist of 3-5 rows of modified scales in pre-cloacal position, and an isolated group of scales in the middle of abdomen, near umbilical scar. The tail is moderately depressed in its proximal part; the distal part is rounded or slightly oval in cross-section. The scales of the tail are arranged into distinct circular segments, each consisting of two whorls of enlarged mucronate (spiny) scales. The coloration is extremely variable, depending on race, sex, age and substrate.

Spiny lizard is widely distributed from Greece, Aegean islands, S Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, W Syria, N Iraq, Israel, NW Jordan, to Sinai and northern Egypt. Five subspecies of Laudakia stellio are recognised in addition to the nominotypic form within its wide range. Populations in Turkey belong to the nominotypic subspecies, L. s. stellio (S Turkey -except Western parts and S Aegean islands-, Syria, W Jordan, Israel and N. Sinai) and to L. s. daani (S Aegean islands and SW Turkey). Evidently, there are intermediate forms in the contact zones between individual subspecies. Whereas in Cyprus an endemic subspecies, L. s. cypriaca lives. The important diagnostic features of the some races as follow:

1) L. s. stellio: It is characterized by a narrow mid-dorsal zone of enlarged scales with regular offshoots between the flank scales. These enlarged scales are keeled but not very spinose. Adult animals generally have SVL of 9-12 cm. Length of tail in relation to this length averaging 1.43. Coloration is rather variable. Generally a dark grayish, brownish ground colour of head and body, against which a pattern of 4-5 vertebral patches is outlined. Behind the head, at both sides before the shoulders, sometimes a black collar spot is present. Finger and toes are short. [15-18 subdigital scales under the 3rd finger, 17-23 under 4th toe].
2) L. s. daani: In S Aegean islands and SW Turkey are darker and they have a bluish-grey head and body. The chin shows a clear spotted pattern.
3) L. s. cypriaca: It is characterized mainly by its long tail [Tail length reported on the snout-vent distance (SVL) ranges from 1.53-1.92, averaging 1.73. In other subspecies, this relation rarely exceeds 1.6.]. Finger and toes are long [19-22 subdigital scales under the 3rd finger, 22-28 under 4th toe]. In the dorsal scale arrangement, Cypriotic Spiny lizard resembles the nominotypic form. The small scales of the chin, especially in the region of the gular fold, are strongly spinose and in elder specimens there is a redish coloration on both head and body.

The other known subspecies [L. s. picea from N Jordan & NE Israel; L. s. brachydactyla from S. Israel, SW Jordan, E Sinai & adjacent parts of Saudi Arabia; L. s. vulgaris from N Egypt] are distributed in southern Levantine regions.

Frequents stone walls, rocky areas and olive groves, can easily climb both on trees and rocks. Feeds mainly on insects (ants and other hymenopterans, orthopterans, mantids, beetles, butterflies, spiders, scorpions, mollusks), but can also ingest some plant material. it is the most commonly encountered reptile species in the close vicinity of human settlements, dense populations occur even in large cities. It is a diurnal, heliophilous lizard. Both males and females form hierarchies and maintain territories. A dominant male perches on the highest point of his territory. Typical display behaviour consists of series of vertical movements of the head and cranial third of the body. The submissive animals reply by flattening of their bodies and pushing the heads towards the surface. This behaviour of females is often accompanied by lateral undulations of the tail. Seasonal activity depends both on the altitude and latitude. A female lays 8-14 eggs.
nkasot, xTauruSx, kebapci, vanderschelden, bahadir, zulfu, goldyrs, mariki, haraprasan, jaycee, gerbilratz, rousettus, SelenE, uleko, jpdenk, Argus, amcolli, yasemin, montivipera, cypturk, CatherineD has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Merhaba Hocam, Olağanüstü bir kare. Mükemmel. Ellerinize sağlık.
Nazım

Aman Hocam mükemmel renkler. Nefis bir kompozisyon. Notlar da öyle. Elinize sağlık. Teşekkürler.
Deniz

Ne o öyle ejderhaya benziyor hocam. herhalde teraryumda filan duruyor. kütükten çok taşlara yakıştırırım bu hayvanı

Hi Bayram
Great shot. Razor sharp! I like that kind of lizards with spines and torns ;-)
TFS
Krzysztof

Hocam mükemmel renk ve detaylar. Elinize sağlık. Bahadır

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1243 W: 0 N: 171] (916)
  • [2008-03-04 3:01]
  • [+]

Müthiş güzel renkler, tatlı bir poz ve kompozisyon. Elinize sağlık Bayram Hocam.
Mehmet

Wow, Bayram!!
Excellent depth with great sharpness and clarity.
Very well done!!
Thank you!
Regards,
Goldy

Hi Bayram, great capture of strange lizard with wonderful details and splendid sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

Hi Bayram,
A lovely capture of this beautiful spiny lizard. Excellent sharp details and a very good composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hi Bayram,

Wonderful shot of this amazing looking lizard. Nature has given him beautiful colors with those shades of grey and yellow. Sharp details and textures of the body, head, legs and tail. I always love the positions of your creatures - this time it is the arm resting on the upper rock that captured my attention.

Jane

Well Bayram, in my opinion this is the best reptile you posted, it is a wonderful animal and you captured it very well, great picture and great animal
ciao
franco

Lovely capture,. the scales and colouration is first rate....lovely work TFS...regards h

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2693 W: 93 N: 6313] (19888)
  • [2008-03-04 11:36]
  • [+]

Hello Bayram,
Fantastic photo of this lizard. Excellent sharp details and beautiful natural colours. Nice diagonal composition and very good DOF.
Regards,
Peter

great pic (though the tail is cut) and interesting note, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1513 W: 9 N: 6007] (17866)
  • [2008-03-04 14:49]
  • [+]

Hi Bayram

Great POV combined with razor sharp focus and excellent exposure. Great posting.

TFS

James

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2410 W: 63 N: 4270] (13948)
  • [2008-03-04 23:02]
  • [+]

Merhaba Bayram Bey,
Netlik, keskinlik ve detaylar cok guzel. Elinize saglik
Selamlar

Hello Bayram,

Nice picture of this lizard. Nice composition. Good sharpness. Beautiful natural colours.
Cheers,

Mariki

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3179 W: 162 N: 1471] (4331)
  • [2008-03-05 7:00]
  • [+]

Hello Bayram,
It is really interesting to see close-ups of all these Lizards that you're presenting. I never knew there were so many beautiful and varied colours and markings on them. This one is quite a solid one too and you show the details very well in this excellent capture.
A nice composition too.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

Hi Bayram,

What a magnificent animal, looks like a little wingless dragon!

Excellent image quality, as usual, very nice photo!

Thanks,
John

Hızına yetişemiyoruz artık. harika bir herpetolojik fotoğraf koleysiyonu oluşturdun. türleri de büyük ölçüde bitirdin. yalnız bugün fark görüyorum:) Türkçesiyle birlikte, yetmedi yerel adıyla da:)
eline sağlık güzel çekim olmuş. selamlar.

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4079 W: 190 N: 12063] (37165)
  • [2008-03-05 11:15]
  • [+]

Hello Bayram,
You are ahead of me in the frequency of postings, so I chose this fine one of the nominate ssp of the Hardun. Amazing sharpness to show details, especially of the dorsal scales in this pose and the composition is great.
Thanks for posting this one and for your very informative and educational notes!
Best wishes, my friend,
Ivan

nice amazing animal ,I am totally ignorant about them, but necver can help marveelling at the wonders of nature like the mimeic powers of these little chaps!
ciao for now
anna

  • Great 
  • yasemin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 906 W: 0 N: 361] (1513)
  • [2008-05-09 20:30]
  • [2]

Bu gurkudacigin renkleri ne kadar guzel. cok degisik. eline saglik Bayram.
Leyla

Merhaba Hocam,
Enfes bir kare. Sevdiğim türlerden biridir. Teşekkürler!
Saygılar
Naşit

Great shot! Very interesting lizard and good note... tfs. regards... cypturk

Masa el-kheir Bayram,
Not too late to discover this beauty! Very nice colours and composition. This specimen seems to have a big size. It it a male? He looks like, with its large head. I see very well on this photo that L. stellio stellio is lighter than daani, with nice patches of sand colours.
With this photo, you give me another good reason to visit the Tartous mountain one day! I have a good friend who has her hometown there...
Layla saeeda,
Catherine

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