Acanthocercus atricollis

Last updated

Black-necked agama
Southern Tree Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) male (33506684056).jpg
Male in the Kruger National
Park
, South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Acanthocercus
Species:
A. atricollis
Binomial name
Acanthocercus atricollis
(Smith, 1849)
Acanthocercus atricollis distribution.png
Synonyms
  • Agama atricollisSmith, 1849
  • Laudakia atricollis(Smith, 1849)
  • Stellio atricollis(Smith, 1849)

Acanthocercus atricollis, the black-necked agama or southern tree agama, [1] is a species of tree agama that is native to East, Central and southern Africa. Its largest continuous range is in southeastern Africa, and it occurs at high densities in the Kruger National Park. [1]

Contents

Description

Black neck scales on an adult male Southern Tree Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) male (32629575144).jpg
Black neck scales on an adult male

The sexes have a comparable snout-to-vent length (SVL) and have similar tail lengths. Mature males have somewhat larger heads than females, which is deemed to be an adaptation for intraspecific competition for territory. Females reach sexual maturity when about 96 mm (3.8 in) long (SVL) and males from about 82 mm (3.2 in) (SVL). [2]

Habits

They form structured colonies with a dominant male, several females and juveniles. The males defend territories and engage in combat. Although mostly diurnal, they sometimes exhibit nocturnal activity. [3] [2] It adapts readily to the vicinity of human habitation. They are classic ambush foragers which spend only some 4% of their time moving. [2] This involves an average of less than one movement in two minutes. When stationary, the adults position themselves on lateral branches (42% of the time), on tree trunks (35%), or occasionally on the ground (23%). [2]


Acanthocercus a. atricollis can more commonly be found in higher densities around villages. This is due to the lack of natural predators like snakes or raptors that are often killed by humans and the preference of trees that are thicker, with more canopy cover. [4] [5]

Diet

They subsist on an insect diet, which consists mainly of orthopterans, beetles and ants. [3] Their full diet encompasses various orders (10 recorded) of arthropods. They also eat millipedes, which other lizard taxa tend to avoid. Gut contents reveal many ants (92% of items) and some beetles (4%). [2] A large volume of orthopterans is consumed (27%), followed by beetles (26%) and ants (18%). Juvenile diet (by volume) is dominated by ants, though beetles and orthopterans are also taken. Prey diversity and volumes fluctuate seasonally. [2]

Reproduction

Reproduction is seasonal. Testicular volume of males reaches a maximum during August to September (austral spring), and follicles of females become enlarged during August to December. [2] Females lay a single clutch per annum, about 11 eggs on average, and larger females produce larger clutches than smaller females. [2]

Range

It is found in Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, D.R.C., Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini. [3]

Races

Two races are usually accepted. Four more have been described however, which are not very distinct. [1] [3]

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Acanthocercus atricollis at Wikimedia Commons

Related Research Articles

<i>Laudakia</i> Genus of lizards

Laudakia is a genus of lizards, commonly known as Asian rock agamas, in the family Agamidae. The genus is found mostly in Asia, with some species in Southern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinai agama</span> Species of reptile

The Sinai agama is an agamid lizard found in arid areas of southeastern Libya, eastern Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, eastern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful sunbird</span> Species of bird

The beautiful sunbird, formerly placed in the genus Nectarinia, is a sunbird. It is native to tropical Africa, its range extending from Senegal and Guinea in the west to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitatunga</span> Species of swamp-dwelling antelope

The sitatunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling medium-sized antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of Southern Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Ghana, Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The sitatunga is mostly confined to swampy and marshy habitats. Here they occur in tall and dense vegetation as well as seasonal swamps, marshy clearings in forests, riparian thickets and mangrove swamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser kudu</span> Species of antelope

The lesser kudu is a medium-sized bushland antelope found in East Africa. The species is a part of the ungulate genus Tragelaphus, along with several other related species of striped, spiral-horned African bovids, including the related greater kudu, the bongo, bushbuck, common and giant elands, nyala and sitatunga. It was first scientifically described by English zoologist Edward Blyth (1869).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater kudu</span> Species of woodland antelope

The greater kudu is a large woodland antelope, found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, and poaching. The greater kudu is one of two species commonly known as kudu, the other being the lesser kudu, T. imberbis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sable antelope</span> Species of mammal

The sable antelope is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant's gazelle</span> Species of mammal

Grant's gazelle is a relatively large species of gazelle antelope, distributed from northern Tanzania to South Sudan and Ethiopia, and from the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. Its Swahili name is swala granti. It was named for a 19th-century British explorer, James Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African sheath-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The African sheath-tailed bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freckled nightjar</span> Species of bird

The freckled nightjar or freckled rock nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It has a wide yet patchy distribution throughout the Afrotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed robin-chat</span> Species of bird

The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little spotted woodpecker</span> Species of bird in the family Picidae

The little spotted woodpecker or green-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extensive range and is an uncommon species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The bearded woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fairly common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadley's flat lizard</span> Species of lizard

Platysaurus broadleyi, also known commonly as the Augrabies flat lizard and Broadley's flat lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabon talapoin</span> Species of Old World monkey

The Gabon talapoin, also known as the northern talapoin, is a small species of African monkey native to riparian habitats in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the western Republic of the Congo and the far western Democratic Republic of Congo. It may have been introduced to Bioko and the Canary Islands. Classified in the genus Miopithecus, it was given the name Miopithecus ogouensis, based on the River Ogooué, distinguishing it from the other species, the Angolan talapoin, also known as Miopithecus talapoin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sekukhune flat lizard</span> Species of lizard

The Sekukhune flat lizard is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. It has two subspecies.

<i>Agama agama</i> Species of lizard

The common agama, red-headed rock agama or rainbow agama is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae found in most of sub-Saharan Africa. To clear up centuries of historical confusion based on Linnaeus and other authors, Wagner et al. designated a neotype for the species, using a previously described specimen from Cameroon in the collection of the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. The species name was formerly applied to a paraphyletic collection of taxa ; subsequent mitochondrial DNA analysis of various populations indicates they represent separate species. Consequently, three former subspecies A. a. africana, A. a. boensis, and A. a. mucosoensis are now considered separate species, and A. a. savattieri is considered synonymous with A. africana.

<i>Acanthocercus adramitanus</i> Species of lizard

Acanthocercus adramitanus, also known commonly as Anderson's rock agama or the Hadramaut agama, is a small species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Acanthocercus cyanocephalus</i> Species of lizard

Acanthocercus cyanocephalus, also commonly known as Falk's blue-headed tree agama, is a species of lizards in the family Agamidae. It can be found in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a maximum length of up to 350 millimeters, the tree agama is large in its genus; however, its tail is small when compared with its size. Male lizards, with their blue heads, spotted bodies, and multipatterned tails, are clearly distinct from all other species. Blue-headed tree agamas are known to eat arthropods including spiders, caterpillars, ants, and termites.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Spawls, S. (2020). "Acanthocercus atricollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T110132395A20519412. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T110132395A20519412.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reaney, Leeann T.; Whiting, Martin J. (August 2002). "Life on a limb: ecology of the tree agama (Acanthocercus a. atricollis) in southern Africa". Journal of Zoology. 257 (4): 439–448. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.461.444 . doi:10.1017/S0952836902001048.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Uetz, Peter; Hallermann, Jakob. "Acanthocercus atricollis (SMITH, 1849)". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  4. Whiting, Martin J.; Chetty, Kinesh; Twine, Wayne; Carazo, Pau (2009). "Impact of human disturbance and beliefs on the tree agama Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis in a South African communal settlement". Fauna & Flora International, Oryx. 43 (4): 586–590. doi: 10.1017/S0030605309990160 .
  5. Reaney, Leeann T.; Whiting, Martin J. (2002). "Picking a tree: habitat use by the tree agama, Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis, in South Africa". African Zoology. 38 (2): 273–278. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.470.5433 . doi:10.1080/15627020.2003.11407281. S2CID   45701280.