Taxonomic review of the lizards of the genus Calotes Cuvier 1817 (Agamidae Squamata) from Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

Recent herpetological surveys in Sabah, Malaysia, provided a series of specimens belonging to the genus Calotes Cuvier 1817. Of these, all specimens from low altitude regions were identified as C. cristatellus (Kuhl 1820), whereas one specimen collected from Mt Kinabalu proved to represent a new species, which we described here as C. nigrigularis. Morphological features of the two species, as well as of C. kinabaluensis Grijs 1937 (the other species of the genus Calotes known from Sabah), are reviewed, and comparisons are made between C. nigrigularis and other congeneric species. A dichotomous key to the three species of the genus Calotes from Sabah is provided. © 1991 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.