Sitana deccanensis Jerdon 1870
Creators: name: Thasun Amarasinghe, A. A.
name: Ineich, Ivan
name: Suranjan Karunarathna, D. M. S.
name: Botejue, W. Madhava S.
name: Campbell, Patrick D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Agamidae
Sitana
Sitana deccanensis

description: Sitana deccanensis Jerdon, 1870
(Figs. 5, 6, 8; Tables 1, 2, 4)
Sitana ponticeriana deccanensis — Deraniyagala (1953).
Sitana minor —Schleich & Kästle (1998), Schleich et al. (1998), Anders & Kästle (2002) [partim]. Sitana ponticeriana —Das & de Silva (2005) [partim], Manthey (2010) [partim].
Syntypes. Male, BMNH 1946.8.27.39, SVL 67.6 mm, India, presented by J. E. Gray; male, BMNH 1946.8.27.40, SVL 60.0 mm, India, presented by J. E. Gray. Note. We discovered the original type series of S. deccanensis (comprising two syntypes) among the syntypes of S. minor Günther, 1864 and they probably got mixed up later (probably after 1870).
Other Specimens examined. Males, MNHN 2568, MNHN 6903–4, respective SVL 62 mm, 69 mm, and 78 mm, “Indes Orientales”, coll. Jacquemont; Male, MNHN 6023, SVL 74 mm, “Bellari (Inde)”, coll. Chaper; Male, BMNH 1946.8.27.41 (now paralectotype of S. minor; see below), India (Madras, in error), SVL 60 mm, presented by T. C. Jerdon.
Diagnosis for adult males. Sitana deccanensis differs from each congener by having the following characters: S. bahiri sp. nov.: larger SVL above 60.0 mm (vs. smaller SVL 40.0–50.0 mm), snout shorter ES 53.1–53.4% of HW (vs. longer, ES 54.7–57.4% of HW), throat-fan longer ADW 50.3–60.2% of AG (vs. shorter, ADW 28.3–29.2% of AG), femur longer FEL 79.7–82.9% of TBL (vs. shorter, FEL 70.6–75.3% of TBL), foot shorter FOL 131.9–144.6% of HL (vs. longer, FOL 158.9–159.8 of HL), supralabials 12 (vs. 7–8), midbody scales 66–70 (vs. 49–56), subdigital lamellae on toe III 13 (vs. 14–17), subdigital lamellae on toe IV 19–23 (vs. 23–26), enlarged scales above the tympanum absent (vs. present), equal and regular lateral scales without intermediate enlarged scales (vs. unequal and irregular lateral scales with enlarged scales), breeding-males with bright red patch extending to vent (vs. bleached orange colour patch), 3–4 bright stripes from snout and behind the eye up to the shoulders (vs. a single pale stripe from snout up to the shoulder); S. devakai sp. nov.: larger SVL above 60.0 mm (vs. smaller SVL 40.0– 45.6 mm), snout shorter ES 53.1–53.4% of HW (vs. longer, ES 57.2–63.2% of HW), throatfan longer ADW 50.3–60.2% of AG (vs. shorter, ADW 29.9–32.5% of AG), femur longer FEL 79.7–82.9% of TBL (vs. shorter, FEL 72.2–78.4% of TBL), foot shorter FOL 131.9–144.6% of HL (vs. longer, FOL 154.7–180.2 of HL), supralabials 12 (vs. 8–9), midbody scale rows 66–70 (vs. 57–59), ventral scales 82–92 (vs. 100–108), subdigital lamellae on toe III 13 (vs. 15–16), enlarged scales above the tympanum absent (vs. present), lateral scales without intermediate enlarged scales (vs. with enlarged scales), breeding-males with bright red patch extending to vent (vs. bright red colour patch restricted to mid throat-fan), 3–4 bright stripes from snout and behind the eye up to the shoulders (vs. a single pale stripe from snout up to the shoulder); S. ponticeriana: larger SVL above 60.0 mm (vs. smaller SVL 48.0–49.0 mm), snout shorter ES 53.1–53.4% of HW (vs. longer, ES 61.5–68.1% of HW), throat-fan longer ADW 50.3–60.2% of AG (vs. shorter, ADW 31.1–54.7% of AG), foot shorter FOL 131.9–144.6% of HL (vs. longer, FOL 150.9–175.5% of HL), supralabials 12 (vs. 8–10), midbody scale rows 66–70 (vs. 50–54), ventral scales 82–92 (vs. 65–69), no enlarged scales above the tympanum (vs. present), equal and regular lateral scales without intermediate enlarged scales (vs. unequal and irregular lateral scales with enlarged scales), breeding-males with bright red patch extending to vent (vs. bright red colour patch restricted to mid throat-fan); Sitana sivalensis complex: larger SVL above 60.0 mm (vs. smaller SVL of 35.0– 44.5 mm), throat-fan extending up to the abdomen (vs. not extending to the level of the axilla), breeding-males with bright red patch extending to vent (vs. no such red colour patch).
Description of syntype. (Based on BMNH 1946.8.27.39). An adult male, 67.6 mm SVL; head moderately large (HL 28.7% of SVL), elongate (HW 62.4% of HL), narrow (HW 17.9% of SVL), distinct from neck; snout short (ES 53.1% of HW); snout length somewhat greater than eye diameter (ED 91.7% of ES); interorbital distance broad (IO 20.1% of HL); eye large (ED 30.4% of HL); pupil rounded; ear-opening shallow, its greatest diameter being dorsoventrally, ear-opening with enlarged unkeeled scales anteriorly but not posteriorly, tympanum smaller than orbit (TYD 40.7% of ED); no spines or enlarged scales above the tympanum, but the scales above the tympanum are keeled; diameter of eyes greater than eye to ear distance (ED 122.9% of TYE); forehead concave; scales on snout keeled, smaller than those of occipital region; scales on interorbital and supercilium area keeled; no nuchal or dorsal crest; rostral scale width greater than height, ventro-posteriorly in contact with the first supralabial, in contact posteriorly with the prenasal and three equal sized postrostral scales; two supranasals around nostrils on each side, three postnasals with the lower smallest and the middle largest, a single upper supralabial and one prenasal; nostrils oval and located in the middle of an undivided nasal plate; canthus rostralis and superciliary edges sharp; parietal plate lozenge shaped (anterior sides shorter than posterior sides) including a grey-blue coloured “pineal eye”, parietal plate larger than adjacent plates. Mental subtriangular, approximately equal in length and width, posteriorlaterally in contact with two enlarged postmentals separated by a third smaller median gular scale preventing contact between them; first postmental pair bordered posteriorly by four smooth scales exclusive of infralabial. Throat-fan large, posterior scales reach mid venter (DWL 70.6% of SVL, ADW 50.3% of AG), margin of the anterior part of the throat-fan covered with smooth, overlapping, bluntly pointed scales, posterior part (from the middle of the throat to the midventer) with long, elongate and lanceolate bluntly pointed scales; throat scales rounded, smooth and overlapping; three scale rows separate orbit from supralabials; supralabials 12 (9th in mid orbit position); infralabials 10, decreasing in size towards gape; scales on the throat-fan smooth but adjacent ventral scales slightly keeled and mucronate, overlapping.
Body slender (AG 45.6% of SVL); mid dorsal scales equal, keeled, elongate with pointed dorsal scales at midbody, keels straight forming longitudinal continuous parallel ridges; scales on dorsum at midbody larger than those of venter at same level; lateral body scales equal, regular, keeled, mucronate, smaller than dorsals and without randomly distributed enlarged scales; upper dorsolateral scales directed backwards and upwards, dorsoventral ones directed backwards and downwards; 70 scales around midbody; pectoral scales not enlarged, keeled, mucronate, short and overlapping; abdominal scales enlarged and bluntly-pointed; ventral keels forming regular and parallel continuous ridges; no preanal or femoral pores. Ventrals 92.
Upper arm somewhat shorter than lower arm (UAL 19.5% of SVL; LAL 19.8% of SVL); femur shorter than tibia (FEL 26.5% of SVL; TBL 31.9% of SVL; FEL 82.9% of TBL). Dorsal scales on fore and hind limbs not enlarged, keeled, overlapping, and mucronate; ventral scales on upper and lower arm not enlarged, keeled, overlapping, and mucronate; scales on dorsal and ventral surface of thigh keeled, overlapping and mucronate; keels on dorsal and ventral arm and foot forming a series of continuous parallel ridges. Digits elongate, slender, all bearing slightly recurved claws; claws are sharp and elongate; subdigital lamellae entire and mucronate, 13 subdigital lamellae on the toe III, and 19 on toe IV; inter-digital webbing absent; relative length of fingers 3> 4> 2> 5> 1, and toes 4> 3> 2> 1.
Tail incomplete (broken); tail base swollen, ventral scales and dorsal scales on tail keeled, elongate, overlapping, directed backwards, keels forming continuous parallel ridges; remnant tail with subcaudals on median row not enlarged, keeled, overlapping.
Colour in preserved specimen. Based on syntype, BMNH 1946.8.27.39. Colouration and markings almost faded. General colouration whitish dorsally and ventrally with some scattered darker marks irregularly placed. Throat-fan with three colours: anterior 3/4th light blue and black and posterior 1/4th whitish.
Colour in life. See following corresponding figures of S. deccanensis in Manthey (2010: 155–157): RA04103–111 identified as “ Sitana sp. A”. See also the illustration [Atlas - plate 16, figure 2] of S. ponticeriana which was made by Duvernoy (1846) but which corresponds to S. deccanensis.
Variation in the second syntype (BMNH 1946.8.27.40). 66 scale rows around midbody; ventrals, 83; subdigital lamellae on the toe IV, 23.
Suggested common names. English name: Deccan Fan-throat Lizard; French name: Sitane du Deccan.
Distribution. See map Fig. 9. South-western India, observed (not collected) populations referred to Sitana deccanensis from Belgaum in Karnataka State and Satara in Maharashtra State. Also see MNHN 6023 which was collected from Bellary in Karnataka State.
description: Published as part of Thasun Amarasinghe, A. A., Ineich, Ivan, Suranjan Karunarathna, D. M. S., Botejue, W. Madhava S. & Campbell, Patrick D., 2015, Two new species of the genus Sitana Cuvier, 1829 (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Sri Lanka, including a taxonomic revision of the Indian Sitana species, pp. 67-98 in Zootaxa 3915 (1) on pages 81-84, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3915.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/287771