In flipping through field guides to look at agamid dewlaps, I came across a couple of South-East Asian Agamid lizards with blue eyes. Given our recent discussions of blue-eyed anoles, I thought I’d point out these lizards as well. All information is from L. Lee Grismer’s Lizards of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and their Adjacent Archipelagos
(and here’s an AA review of the book).
Aphaniotis fusca (Dusky/Peninsular Earless Agama): more fascinating than the blue eyes themselves is the variation among individuals in iris colour–A. fusca irises can be blue, orange, or brown. It appears that blue irises are restricted to adult males, but not all adult males have blue eyes. Further, the inside of these lizards’ mouths (the oral mucosa, to be precise) are also bright blue, similar to Anolis onca.
Aphaniotis fusca (photo from www.fieldherpforum.com)
Gonocephalus liogaster (Orange-Ringed Anglehead Lizard): hands-down winner for lizard with the most dramatic eyes, adult males of this species have a bright blue iris surrounded by a bright orange ring.
Gonocephalus liogaster (photo by Robert Yeoh)
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James Stroud
Great post! It seems to be a fairly common trait in the Gonocephalons (from what I can remember from the top of my head): klossi, bellii, liogaster, robinsoni, lacunosus?
Does anyone know of the trait appearing in Scincidae?
Ambika Kamath
Or more broadly, in any non-Iguanian lizard (or snake)?
Gonocephalus lizards are wonderful looking! The colourful eyes are just a small part of all the crazy body coloration they have going on.
James Stroud
It’s a trait that I am sure pops up in the geckos from time to time, although as expected with the diurnal-nocturnal switch from Iguania to Gekkota they do look different.
I think it’s present in some of the Rhacodactylids (auriculatus?), Gekko smithii’s and Hoplodactylus granulatus’ eyes can be blue, although usually not.