Fan-Throated Lizards (Sitana; Agamidae) are a widespread yet little-studied genus of lizards found in dry habitats throughout South Asia. Male lizards in this genus bear a fan-like structure under their throats that is displayed by rapid extension and retraction during the breeding season, particularly during courtship and male–male interactions. Throat-fans vary dramatically in both size and coloration across the genus, ranging from small and white to large and blue, black, and orange. In this paper, I investigate variation in throat-fan morphology and display behavior in eight populations of Fan-Throated Lizards. Displays of these lizards included partial and complete throat-fan extensions, changes in body position, rapid head-turning behavior, and occasional bipedality. Part of the variation in display behavior across these lizards was associated with throat-fan elaboration, and increased throat-fan size and coloration were associated with male-biased sexual size dimorphism but not with changes in habitat. These results suggest that sexual selection may underlie increases in both throat-fan size and coloration in the genus Sitana. Therefore, Fan-Throated Lizards are a promising system in which to further investigate the coevolution of different display components of a striking visual signal.
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1 September 2016
Variation in Display Behavior, Ornament Morphology, Sexual Size Dimorphism, and Habitat Structure in the Fan-Throated Lizard (Sitana, Agamidae)
Ambika Kamath