Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
January 1, 2014
Butterfly Lizards
Butterfly Agamas, Butterfly Runners. Leiolepis sp.
©2000 Melissa Kaplan
As with many reptiles entering the pet trade in the past decade, many have been subject to little field research and most have very little information documented on captive care requirements, breeding, etc. Because they have been uncommon, "common" names are highly varied and may have more to do with what name an importer or pet store slaps on the invoice or cage rather than the name being one that has become associated with a species or subspecies through long-term common usage.
Leiolepis are in the same subfamily (Leiolepinae) as the Uromastyx (dab; spiny-tailed) lizards.
Range
The lizards
of the genus of the Agamidae are native to a range that extends from Southern
China through Indo-China to Sumatra.
Species
There are several species
found in relatively dry, open habitats.
- L. belliana belliana. Butterfly agama; Smooth-scaled ground agama; Smooth-scaled agama. Several subspecies. Gray to olive dorsally, yellow to red with black stripes on sides. Thailand, Burma, Laos (?), Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia (Sumatra, Pulau Bangka).
- L. b. rubritaeniata. Sand lizard. Thailand.
- L. boehmei. Thailand. Parthenogenic.
- L. guentherpetersi. Vietnam. Parthenogenic.
- L. guttata. Vietnam, Cochin China.
- L. peguensis. Burma.
- L. reevesii. China (Macao, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi), Vietnam.
- L. triploida. Thailand, Malaysia.
Personal Characteristics
To 50 cm (20").
Slightly flattened dorso-ventrally. Rounded head, long tail, with caudal
scales slightly keeled. Dorsal scales are small, granular. No crest or
gular pouch, but has a wide gular fold. Males have femoral pores.
Habits
Ground-dwellers,
they often dig deep burrows.
Diet
Primarily
insectivores, they sometimes eat plant matter.
Reproduction
Strictly monogamous,
oviparous. One species is parthenogenic.
Captive Environment
Need a dry terrarium
with deep substrate (lowest layer should be slightly damp). Daytime temperatures
30-35 C / 86-95 F, nights about 10 degrees lower. Requires lots of drinking
water.
Sources
Obst, F. et al. Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians. TFH Publ, 1988.
Slavens, Frank & Katie. Lizard Species Accounts.
