CRCritically Endangered

Calotes desilvai

Unknown

Photo: (c) John Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Sullivan

Overview

Calotes desilvai, commonly known as the Morningside lizard, or the Ceylon black-band whistling lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. Calotes desilvai is one of seven Calotes species endemic to Sri Lanka.

Calotes desilvai faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and habitat conversion in Sri Lanka's wet zone forests. The species' extremely limited range makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions from forest fragmentation and degradation. Agricultural expansion and urban development continue to reduce the remaining patches of suitable habitat, while climate change may alter the specific microhabitat conditions this endemic agamid requires.
Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic Sri Lankan agamid lizard inhabits the canopy and understory of primary and secondary wet zone rainforests, typically found in areas with dense vegetation cover and high humidity. The species appears to prefer forest edges and clearings within intact forest systems, where it can access both arboreal and terrestrial microhabitats.

Forest· majorShrubland· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryLegislation

Other threatened species in AGAMIDAE

Montane Rock Agama

Agama montana

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Calotes desilvai classified as Critically Endangered?

Calotes desilvai is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Calotes desilvai faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and habitat conversion in Sri Lanka's wet zone forests. The species' extremely limited range makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions from forest fragmentation and degradation. Agricultural expansion and urban development continue to reduce the remaining patches of suitable habitat, while climate change may alter the specific microhabitat conditions this endemic agamid requires.

Where does Calotes desilvai live?

Calotes desilvai occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.

What are the main threats to Calotes desilvai?

The main threats to Calotes desilvai are 11.1, 2.1, 3.2, and 9.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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