Agama agama

Last updated

Agama agama
Rock agama Lizard.jpg
Male
Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya
Red-headed rock agama (Agama agama) female 2.jpg
Female
Kakum National Park, Ghana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Agama
Species:
A. agama
Binomial name
Agama agama

The common agama, red-headed rock agama or rainbow agama (Agama 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 (numbered ZFMK 15222) for the species, using a previously described specimen from Cameroon in the collection of the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. [2] The species name was formerly applied to a paraphyletic collection of taxa (a so-called wastebasket); subsequent mitochondrial DNA analysis of various populations indicates they represent separate species. [3] [4] 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. [5]

Contents

Description

Its size varies from 13 to 30 cm (5.1 to 11.8 in) in total length. [6] Males are typically 7.5 to 12 cm (3.0 to 4.7 in) longer than the average female. The agama lizard can be identified by having a white underside, brown back limbs and a tail with a light stripe down the middle. The stripe on the tail typically possesses about six to seven dark patches along its side. Females, adolescents and subordinate males have an olive green head, while a dominant male has a blue body and yellow tail.

Distribution and habitat

The common agama is endemic to countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania and Uganda. [7] ,. [5] However, it has been introduced through the reptile trade to southern Florida, where it has become extremely common.

Agama agama is well-adapted to arid conditions. These lizards remain active throughout the day except for the hottest hour, when even shaded spots can reach 38 °C (100 °F). [8]

Diet

Common agamas are primarily insectivores, but they have been known to eat small mammals and reptiles and vegetation such as flowers, grasses, and fruits. [9] Their diet consists of mainly ants, grasshoppers, beetles and termites. [9] They catch their prey using their tongue, the tip of which is covered by mucous glands that enable the lizard to hold to smaller prey. [9]

Behaviour

Male agamas are territorial and must fight other males to claim their space. Agamas live in social groups including a lead male, about half a dozen females, and subordinate males. Subordinate males can only gain their own group if they eliminate the existing lead male (the "cock") or establish a colony outside all other cocks' territory. Only the cock is allowed to mate with the females. The center of a cock's territory is usually marked by the presence of a physical object, such as a tree or boulder, on which the lizards congregate. In urban areas, fights between males are more common because space is at a higher premium. [8]

Reproduction

Females are sexually mature at 14–18 months, while males take 2 years. Agama agama tends to reproduce during the wet season, but can also reproduce in areas that receive constant rainfall. After fertilization and when she is ready to lay, the female will dig a hole 5 cm (2 in) deep with her snout and claws in damp, sandy soil that is covered with grasses or other plants and which receives sunlight during most of the day. Once finished, the female will lay a clutch of 5–7 ellipsoidal eggs that hatch within a period of 8–10 weeks.

The sex of common agama embryos are determined by temperature, so all male eggs experienced a temperature of 29 °C (84 °F) while female eggs are in the 26–27 °C (79–81 °F) range. After hatching, the offspring will measure about 3.7 cm (1.5 in) snout to vent, plus their 7.5 cm (3.0 in) tail. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agama (lizard)</span> Genus of reptiles

Agama is a genus of small-to-moderate-sized, long-tailed, insectivorous Old World lizards. The genus Agama includes at least 37 species in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where most regions are home to at least one species. Eurasian agamids are largely assigned to genus Laudakia. The various species differ in size, ranging from about 12 to 30 centimetres in length, when fully grown.

<i>Uromastyx</i> Genus of lizards

Uromastyx is a genus of African and Middle East or West Asian lizards in the family Agamidae. Member species are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus Uromastyx are primarily herbivorous, but occasionally eat insects and other small animals, especially young lizards. They spend most of their waking hours basking in the sun, hiding in underground chambers at night time or when danger appears. They tend to establish themselves in hilly, rocky areas with good shelter and accessible vegetation.

<i>Saara hardwickii</i> Species of lizard

Saara hardwickii, commonly known as Hardwicke's spiny-tailed lizard or the Indian spiny-tailed lizard is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is found in patches across the Thar desert, Kutch, and surrounding arid zones in India and Pakistan. It is mainly herbivorous and lives in numbers in some areas. Since it is found in loose clusters it often attracts predators such as raptors. It is also hunted by local peoples in the belief that the fat extracted from it is an aphrodisiac.

<i>Uromastyx geyri</i> Species of lizard

Uromastyx geyri is a species of lizard belonging to the family Agamidae. The species is native to North Africa.

<i>Uromastyx alfredschmidti</i> Species of lizard

Uromastyx alfredschmidti, commonly known as the ebony mastigure, Schmidt's mastigure, or Schmidt's spiny-tailed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is indigenous to North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mwanza flat-headed rock agama</span> Species of lizard

The Mwanza flat-headed rock agama or the Spider-Man agama, because of its coloration, is a lizard reptile in the family Agamidae, found in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya.

The Elmenteita agama or Elmenteita rock agama is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Kenya with the type locality being Lake Elmenteita, hence the common name.

Bouet's worm snake is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is native to West Africa.

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

Agama bibronii, Bibron's agama or the North African rock agama, is a species of lizard belonging to the family Agamidae from north western Africa.

<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>Agama africana</i> Species of lizard

Agama africana is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Nigeria and Ghana.

Agama boensis is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal.

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

Agama boueti, also known commonly as the Mali agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to West Africa.

Agama boulengeri, also known commonly as Boulenger's agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to western Africa.

Agama cristata, the insular agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found in Mali and Guinea.

Agama doriae, also known commonly as the Benoue agama, Doria's agama, and the Nigeria agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

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

Agama finchi, commonly known as Finch's agama, is a small species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to Central Africa and East Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.

Agama insularis, the insular agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found on Rooma Island in Guinea.

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

Agama weidholzi, the Gambia agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is a small lizard found in Senegal, Gambia, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau.

<i>Laudakia sacra</i> Species of lizard

Laudakia sacra, also known commonly as Anan's rock agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Tibet.

References

  1. ↑ Wilms, T., Wagner, P., Rödel, M.-O., Luiselli, L., Segniagbeto, G., Niagate, B. & Jallow, M. 2021. Agama agama. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T172799A1374221. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T172799A1374221.en. Accessed on 22 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Wagner, Philipp; Wilms, Thomas M.; Bauer, Aaron; Böhme, Wolfgang (2009). "Studies on African Agama. V. On the origin of Lacerta agama Linnaeus, 1758 (Squamata: Agamidae)" (PDF). Bonner zoologische Beiträge. 56: 215–223.
  3. ↑ Leaché, A.D. et al. (2009). Phylogeny of the genus Agama based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 56(4) 273-78.
  4. ↑ Mediannikov, O.; Trape, S.; Trape, J-F. (2012). "A Molecular Study of the Genus Agama (Squamata: Agamidae) in West Africa, with Description of Two New Species and a Review of the Taxonomy, Geographic Distribution, and Ecology of Currently Recognized Species". Russian Journal of Herpetology . 19 (2).
  5. 1 2 "Agama". reptile-database.reptarium.cz. Czech Republic: The Reptile Database.
  6. ↑ Burton, Maurice; Burton, Robert (2002). "Agama". International Wildlife Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. p. 30.
  7. ↑ "Figure 1. Agama agama from Antananarivo Airport (Madagascar). Photo by..." ResearchGate.net. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  8. 1 2 "The Habitat of the Agama Lizard". animals.mom.me. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Agama agama (Common Agama, Rainbow Lizard)". animaldiversity.org. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2017-05-02.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.