 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.Both the specific name, "blanfordanus", and the common name, Blanford's rock agama, are in honor of English naturalist William Thomas Blanford (1832–1905), member of the Geological Survey of India.