Hydrosaurus
Hydrosaurus
Genus of lizards
Hydrosaurus, commonly known as the sailfin dragons or sailfin lizards, is a genus in the family Agamidae.[2] These relatively large lizards are named after the sail-like structure on their tails. They are native to Indonesia (4 species) and the Philippines (1 species) where they are generally found near water, such as rivers and mangrove.[3] Sailfin lizards are semiaquatic and able to run short distances across water using both their feet and tail for support, similar to the basilisks.[4] They are threatened by both habitat loss and overcollection for the wild animal trade.[3]
In the 19th century, the genus was called Lophura, however in 1903 Poche pointed out that the name was pre-occupied by a genus of pheasants.[5] Since Günther in 1873, the Sulawesi populations were considered to belong to H. amboinensis; Denzer et al. in 2020 resurrected H. celebensis and H. microlophus, increasing the number of species from three to five.[5]
They are the only members of the subfamily Hydrosaurinae.
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