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Psammophilus dorsalis

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA REPTILIA SQUAMATA AGAMIDAE

Scientific Name: Psammophilus dorsalis
Species Authority: (Gray, 1831)
Common Name/s:
English – Rock Dragon, Rock Lizard, Saxicolus Lizard, South Indian Rock Agama
Synonym/s:
Agama dorsalis Gray, 1831
Charasia dorsalis (Gray, 1831)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2010
Assessor/s: Radder, R.S.
Reviewer/s: Böhm, M., Collen, B. & Ram, M. (Sampled Red List Index Coordinating Team)
Contributor/s: De Silva, R., Milligan, H.T., Wearn, O.R., Wren, S., Zamin, T., Sears, J., Wilson, P., Lewis, S., Lintott, P. & Powney, G.
Justification:
Psammophilus dorsalis has been assessed as Least Concern due to its wide distribution, and the absence of any major widespread threats. Furthermore, this species has been reported as common and abundant within its range. Monitoring should be carried out to ensure that any significant population declines are noted.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species is widely distributed in India. It is known to occur in Bihar in eastern India, and along the rocky hills of the Eastern Ghats southward to Kanyakumari in the extreme south of India (Daniel 2002). An introduced population has been reported to occur in Germany (R. Radder pers. comm.). This species is known to occur up to 2,000 m above sea level.
Countries:
Native:
India
Introduced:
Germany
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: Sharma (2002) states that this species is found "in abundance" and Daniel (2002) notes that it is "common at low elevations" and in the vicinity of Bangalore. A recent study in three areas around the village of Hampi, Karnataka, found an average density of 90 individuals per hectare (Radder et al. 2005).
Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: This is a strictly terrestrial, rock-dwelling lizard (Sharma 2002). From its wide distribution, it is inferred that this species is found in a variety of habitats, including dry forests, moist forests, and dry shrublands.
Systems: Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): It is unlikely that any major threat is impacting this species across its range.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: This species was considered in the Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (CAMP) Workshop for the Amphibians and Reptiles of India, which was convened by the Biodiversity Conservation Prioritization Project, India, and held in Coimbatore in 1997. It was assessed as LR/nt, under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 2.3, and is thought to be locally threatened by habitat loss. It was recommended that this species receives more research effort into its taxonomy. Further monitoring of the population and its habitat status should be carried out in order to ensure that localized threats do not become more widespread.
Citation: Radder, R.S. 2010. Psammophilus dorsalis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2013.
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