Pelturagonia nigrilabris
—
Black-lipped Shrub Lizard
Also known as:
Black-lipped Eye-browed Lizard
This species was considered part of Phoxophrys until a 2020 study that confined Phoxophrys to the type species in Sumatra.
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At first glance, I thought this adorably cute sleeping lizard was another of the Dusky Earless Agamas that I had seen so often in Malaysia. But the proportions seemed off: the head was too big, and the tail a little short, and the body a little bulky. Back at my room the next day, I consulted the books I had brought and guessed that it was Phoxophrys nigrilabris instead. Later I had this opinion confirmed by a knowledgeable herpetologist.
My Travelogues and Trip Lists page includes a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on this trip to Malaysia, as well as a travelogue of the trip.
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Apparently this species is equally happy sleeping horizontally or vertically.
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Or even sleeping at a 45-degree angle.
Online references:
- Pelturagonia nigrilabris account on The Reptile Database
Printed references:
- Das, I. 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia
- Das, I. 2004. Lizards of Borneo
- Manthey, U. 2010. Agamid Lizards of Southern Asia: Draconinae 2
- Manthey, U., Grossmann, W. 1997. Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens