page_title: Blanford's rock agama
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Blanford's rock agama / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Psammophilus blanfordanus - identification not confirmed by scale counts but based on distribution range
context_page_description: Blanford's rock agama is species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Peninsular India. One of two species in the genus, P. blanfordanus is found mainly to the east of the distribution of P. dorsalis. Unlike the other species, the male P. blanfordanus in breeding season has the red body color restricted to the head and lacks the broad dorsal stripe.
context_section_description: Although very similar to P. dorsalis, a specimen of P. blanfordanus can be separated by several features.  P. blanfordanus has a deeper fold on the front of the humerus. The scales on the body are a little larger, and number from 80 to 100 round the middle of the body. The dorsal scales appear keeled and imbricated. When the hind leg is stretched forward and held along the body, it reaches the eye or extends beyond it. Often, a small spine is found behind the edge of the brow-ridge of the eye, and a few enlarged scales are scattered on the sides. Young lizards are olive-brown above, spotted or marbled with brown very similar to the female, but often have a series of large, lozenge-shaped, dark brown spots with pale centres on the back and tail. The adult male is much like P. dorsalis, but in the summer breeding season, the head and anterior part of the body of the males become scarlet or red while the posterior parts are nearly black.
  P. blanfordanus is found mainly on rocks. The male displays by head nodding.
  Snout-to-vent length (SVL) is about 10 cm (3.9 in), and the tail is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long. Females are slightly smaller than males.
caption: Male in breeding colours
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