Calotes mystaceus Duméril & Bibron, 1837

Common Names

Calotes mystaceus, commonly called the Indochinese bloodsucker or Indo-Chinese forest lizard, has the following physical characteristics.

Upper Head Scales

For its head: upper head-scales are either smooth or weakly keeled, overlapping, and scarcely enlarged on the supraorbital region.

Head Spines & Tympanum

A few small spines sit on each side of the head above the tympanum; the tympanum measures at least half the diameter of the orbit.

Gular Region

The gular sac is small, and gular scales are weakly keeled, matching the size of dorsal scales.

Shoulder Fold

There is an oblique fold in front of the shoulder.

Male Dorso-nuchal Crest

The dorso-nuchal crest is well developed in males, made of backward-pointing falciform spines; the longest spine is equal to the diameter of the orbit.

Crest Gradation

The crest gradually decreases in height down the back, reducing to a fine denticulation on the sacrum.

Mid-body Scale Count

There are 45 to 53 scales around the middle of the body.

Dorsal Scales

Dorsal scales are keeled, almost twice as large as ventral scales, and all point upwards and backwards.

Ventral Scales

Ventral scales are strongly keeled.

Hind Limb Length

When pressed against the body, the hind limb reaches either the tympanum or the posterior border of the orbit.

Finger Length Ratio

The fourth finger is slightly longer than the third.

Tail Morphology

The tail is slightly compressed, with a weakly serrated upper ridge at its base.

Color Pattern

Its color pattern has a grey to olive background, often marked with large transverse red spots on the back, and yellowish lips.

Size Measurements

Maximum total length is 42 cm, while common total length is 28 cm, with a snout-to-vent length of 9.5 cm.

Native Distribution

This species is distributed across Cambodia, Yunnan (China), Mizoram (India), Laos, Myanmar (from Tenasserim to Naypyitaw, covering Naypyitaw, Mandalay, and Kachin State at 26°00N, 97°30E), northern Thailand (Chiang Saen, north of the Isthmus of Kra), and southern Vietnam.

Bangladesh Distribution Record

It has also been reported from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, an area adjacent to India's Mizoram state.

Introduced Distribution

It is also documented for the first time in Florida, USA, in Okeechobee County and Glades County.

Activity & Microhabitat

It is terrestrial and arboreal, and diurnal.

Habitat Types

It naturally occurs in forests, but can also be found in treed residential neighborhoods and urban city parks.

Reproduction Mode

The Indo-Chinese forest lizard is oviparous.

Ecological Role & Uses

No practical uses are known for this species, and it fills an insectivorous role in its native ecosystems.