Dragon transportation for weevils! Well, just by coincidence. Shortly after a sudden and heavy rain at night I found this Gilbert’s dragon (Lophognathus gilberti) resting on a fallen branch about a half meter off the ground. The dragon spotted me and shifted a few centimeters to the left to obscure part of its body behind the branch. Before the lizard fled I looked more closely and realized it had two hitchhikers on its tail! They were two weevils, (family Curculionidae) clutching near the back third of the tail, hopefully a safe spot from becoming the dragon’s meal the following morning. Having experienced the strength of a weevil’s grip, they will certainly not fall off until they decide to let go.
Gilbert’s dragons (Lophognathus gilberi) and swamplands lashtails (Tropicagama [Gowidon] temporalis) are very difficult to tell apart without DNA sequencing, so I am not 100% sure about the identification between these two dragons.
Photographed in situ [1]
This isnt a Gilberts Dragon (Lophognathus gilberti)- its a Swamplands Lashtail (Tropicagama temporalis)
Thanks for the comment! Are there certain characteristics you use to identify them?