|
Literatur und Schriften
BAIG, K.J. & W. BÖHME (1997): Partition of the ‚Stellio’ group of Agama into two distinct genera: Acanthocercus FITZINGER, 1843, and Laudakia GRAY, 1845 (Sauria: Agamidae). – In: Böhme, Bischoff & Ziegler (eds.): Proc. 8th Ord. Gen. Meet. Soc. Europ. Herp., 1997: 21-26. In his unpublished PhD thesis, MOODY (1980) proposed to resurrect six distinct genera from the synonymy of the collective genus Agama (sensu lato: e.g. WERMUTH 1967). These were Agama (s.str.), Trapelus, Pseudotrapelus, Brachysaura, Xenagama and Stellio. Apart from the fact that the content of Stellio (sensu MOODY I.e.) is still under debate, the name Stellio LAURENTI, 1768 is not at all available (cf. BAIG & BOHME 1991, BAIG 1992, LEVITON et al. 1992, HENLE 1995). BAIG & BOHME (I.e.) proposed to preliminarily use Laudakia GRAY, 1845 (type: L. tuberculatd) for these so-called whorl-tailed agamas, and were followed by LEVITON et al. (1992). In his comprehensive revision of the "Stellio" group of the former collective genus Agama the senior author (BAIG 1992) analyzed a very rich material in respect to 54 morphological characters and complemented this information with literature data on anatomical, karyotypic, and biochemical evidence. To discuss this evidence in a phylogenetic and zoogeographical context, is the aim of the present paper.
Hadramautagame / Anderson´s Rock Agama ABO-TAIRA, A.M., ZAHER, M.M., AMER, M.A., BASSIOUNI, W.M. & M.A. KENAY (1993): Further aspects of lacertilian alimentary tract: histochemical typing in the mucosal coat of Agama adramitana (family Agamidae). – Proceedings of the Zoological Society A.R. Egypt, 24: 169-181. ADAMSON, M.L. & A.K. NASHER (1984): Pharyngodonids (Oxyuroidea: Nematoda of Agama adramitana) in Saudi Arabia with notes on Parapharyngodon. – Canadian Journal of Zoology, 623: 2600-2609. ANDERSON J. (1896): Description Acanthocercus adramitanus. - In: ”A Contribution to the Herpetology of Arabia, with a preliminary list of the Reptiles and Batrachians of Egypt”. London, R. H. Porter, 124 pp. GROSSMANN, W. (2012): Acanthocercus adramitanus (ANDERSON, 1896). – Sauria, Berlin, 34 (4): 1-2. KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1954): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und Agama atricollis. – Senckenbergiana biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35: 137-146. NECAS, P. & M. BARTS (1994): Die Hadramautagame Acanthocercus adramitanus (ANDERSON, 1896) – Systematik, Biologie und Vermehrung im Terrarium. – Sauria, Berlin, 16 (1): 3-9. (00.342)
Abstract:
The Agamid lizard Acanthocercus adramitanus (ANDERSON, 1896) is portrayed in detail summarizinh its systematic history, describing its morphology, colouration, sexual dimorphism, distribution, population density, ecology, sociology, husbundry, and breeding. Various aspects of this specific lizard and of the family in general are discussed and analyzed. Provided appropriate conditions, this species does well under captive circumstances. OBADY, Y.H.A. & O.A.A. ALAREEQI (2020): Erythrocytes counts and morphology of Acantocercus adramitanus and Chameleo calyptratus calyptratus from Yemen. – EJUA-BA, 1 (3): 167-174. The aim of this study was to determine the erythrocyte and nucleus morphology of Acantocercus adramitanus and Chameleo calyptratus calyptratus from Yemen by means of blood smears stained with Giemsa stain. The longest and largest erythrocytes and their nucleus were observed in the smears of C. c. calyptratus, while the narrowest and smallest in A. adramitanus. In terms of the studied species, the nucleus and erythrocyte sizes were found to be correlated. No significant difference between two species lizard’s in erythrocyte count was determined. The relationship between the raw erythrocyte measurements and erythrocyte length was determined as positive correlation. PETERS, G. (1982): Eine neue Wirtelschwanzagame aus Ostafrika (Agamidae: Agama). – Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 58 (2): 265-268.
Eritrean Rock Agama / Eritrean Ridgeback Agama BLANFORD, W.T. (1870): Description of Anthocercus annectens. – In: “Observations of the geology and zoology of Abyssinia, made 1867-68”. McMillan (London), xii + 487 pp.
Blaukehlagame / Black-necked Agama, Blue-throated Agama, Southern Tree Agama BROADLEY, S. (2008): Acanthocercus atricollis (A. Smith, 1849) Southern Tree Agama. Acacia gum diet. – Afr. Herp News, 46: 15. BURGERS, J. (1951): Agama atricollis, Woestijnagaam. – Lacerta, 10 (1): 6-7. COWLES, R.B. (1956): Notes on natural history of a South African Agamid lizard. – Herpetologica, 12: 297-302. CURRY-LINDAHL, K. (1979): Thermal ecology of the tree agama (Agama atricollis) in Zaire with a review of heat tolerance in reptiles. – Journal of Zoology, London, 188: 185-220. Territorial behaviour and thermal ecology in relation to heat resistance in the tree agama (or black-necked agama), Agama atricollis, were studied during two expeditions 1951-2 and 1958-9 in eastern Zaire (the former Belgian Congo) in an area just south of the equator. The maximum temperature tolerance of A. atricollis lies within the range of 4343,9"C, but the maximum voluntary tolerance is somewhat lower, 425°C. Territorial males. retreating from their guard posts after having exposed themselves to direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day for 10-16 minutes, reach body temperatures of 42.242.5"C before they retreat into the shade. In shady places it takes the males from 14 to 21 minutes to cool down to 38.1-39.9"C, at which body temperatures they return to the lookout within the territory. The territoriality in A. atricollisand several other species of the same genus, as well as other diurnal lizards with similar behaviour, may have contributed, through selection, to the evolution of their extraordinary resistance to substratum heat and direct sunlight. In an attempt to review and compare maximum voluntary body temperatures (MVT), critical thermal maxima (CTM) and lethal body temperatures (LT) in reptiles with pronounced heat resistance, data have been compiled for 96 species representing 11 families and six continents. The family Agamidae appears to be the most adapted to high body temperatures with 13 species (of 18 species tested) having body temperatures above 43°C in comparison with six species in Iguanidae (of 33 species tested), four in Gekkonidae (of nine species tested) and so forth. Agamids, iguanids, teeids and geckos, in hot environments of five continents, have evolved along the same lines behaviourally and physiologically as responses to territoriality in combination with high temperatures. This feature may be of adaptive significance. This paper also reports on body temperatures, obtained in Africa from free-living individuals of seven other species of the genera Agama and Mabuya, namely A. atra, A. colonorrim, A. hispida, A. planiceps, Mabuya quinquetaeniata, M. maculilabris and M. striata. A helminthological examination of the black-necked agama, Acanthocercus atricollis, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo revealed the presence of one species of Digenea, Mesocoelium monas; one species of Cestoda, Oochoristica truncata; and three species of Nematoda, adults of Pseudabbreviata amaniensis and Strongyluris gigas and one ascarid larva. Strongyluris gigas had the highest prevalence (87%) and P. amaniensis had the highest mean intensity (38.7 ± 52.6 SD). All are generalist helminths that infect lizard species but represent new parasite records for A. atricollis. KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1954): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und A. atricollis. 2. Die Unterarten von Agama atricollis. – Senck. biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35: 132-146. Chemical signals have an important role in the reproductive behaviour of many lizards. However, the compounds secreted by their femoral or preanal glands, which may be used as sexual signals, are mainly known for lizard species within the Scleroglossa clade, whereas compounds in secretions of lizards within the Iguania clade are much less studied. Based on mass spectra, obtained by GC-MS, we found 60 lipophilic compounds in preanal gland secretions of the male tree agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) (fam. Agamidae), including steroids (mainly cholesterol, cholest-3-ene, and some of their derivatives), fatty acids ranging between n-C12 and n-C18 (mainly hexadecanoic and octadecenoic acids), ketones from n-C17 to n-C25, and other minor compounds, such as tocopherol, squalene, waxy esters, and furanones. We compare the compounds found with those present in other lizard species and discuss their potential function in social behaviour. We examined the relative importance of male and home range quality on female-male spatial overlap in the tree agama, Acanthocercus atricollis atricollis. Specifically, we asked whether males in good condition had the greatest spatial overlap with females, whether these same males have the best home ranges, or whether females are simply occupying areas with the best habitat and highest food abundance. Tree structure and prey abundance were used as measures of male home range quality, and male snout-vent length and male body condition were used as indices of male quality. Males had significantly larger home ranges compared to females and female-male overlap was common, while male-male overlap was marginal in a few cases (n = 3). Contrary to prediction, larger males did not occupy larger areas and home range size was not influenced by prey abundance. However, there was significant variation in prey availability between male areas. Female-male overlap was linked to prey abundance in male home ranges, possibly because of the direct influence it has on female fitness. However, several high quality males with high spatial overlap with females also had relatively high prey abundance. Male quality may well be linked to resource availability, but small sample size requires a cautionary interpretation. Analysis of stomach contents can provide insights into foraging mode, habitat use, and dietary specialization of animals. In this paper, we make observations on the poorly known diet of four southern African agamid species, Agama aculeata distanti (Eastern Ground Agama), Agama armata (Peter’s Ground Agama), Agama atra (Southern Rock Agama), and Acanthocercus atricollis (Southern Tree Agama). We examined the diet of 67 individuals by identifying and weighing prey items after stomach flushing lizards in the field. We found that these agama species fed on a broad spectrum of arthropods (11 orders). A high relative importance of ants was present for all agama species examined here, which suggests that ants are a major food source in the arid ecosystem. We found that active prey such as ants, beetles, and highly mobile flying insects like wasps and flies to be major components of the diet, indicating that these lizards are ambush predators. We also found that 43% of the stomachs contained herbaceous material and 39% contained sand particles. Agama atra had the most diverse dietary niche, eating fewer ants and more beetles, hemipterans, and dipterans than other species, whereas A. armata had a narrower dietary niche consisting mainly of ants. Lastly, although low in sample size, we found that juveniles qualitatively had a diet of functionally similar prey items, albeit with a narrower niche breadth, when compared to adults. We discuss how diet corresponds with differences in foraging behavior and habitat specialization. We present the first integrative review of the African agamid lizard Acanthocercus atricollis, a broadly distributed species found from Ethiopia through East Africa to Angola and South Africa. Since the original description of the species approximately 170 years ago six subspecies have been described, mainly on the basis of coloration characters. Our study presents new morphological and genetic data, which together suggest that A. atricollis is a complex of multiple species. External morphological characters and cranial osteology support some of the taxonomic differentiation implied by coloration. We also provide complementary 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data analysed in the context of species delimitation. Our integrated data support several systematic and taxonomic changes, including (1) Acanthocercus branchi is part of the A. atricollis complex, (2) the subspecies A. gregorii, A. minutus, A. ugandaensis, and A. kiwuensis merit species rank, (3) A. atricollis loveridgei is a synonym of A. a. gregorii, (4) Agama cyanocephalus, a former synonym of A. atricollis, is now recognized as full species distributed in Angola, Zambia and extreme northern Namibia. The distribution and diversity of the A. atricollis species complex supports the presence of a biogeographic arid corridor connecting eastern and southern Africa.
ANONYMOUS (2012): Eine neue Agamenart aus Sambia zu Ehren von Bill Branch. – TERRARIA/elaphe, 2012 (4): 73. WAGNER, P., GREENBAUM, E. & A. BAUER (2012): A new species of Acanthocercus atricollis complex (Squamata: Agamidae) from Zambia. – Salamandra, 48 (1): 21-30. In the course of working on a taxonomic revision of the Acanthocercus atricollis complex, we discovered a population from the Luangwa and Zambezi valleys in Zambia and adjacent Malawi that is morphologically and genetically distinct from all described taxa of this complex. This population is described as a new species on the basis of morphological characters, including indistinct transverse rows of enlarged scales on the body, a large black patch on the shoulders, and a different pholidosis. It is morphologically similar to A. a. gregorii and A. a. loveridgei, but seems to be more closely related to the former.
Ceríaco’s Tree Agama MARQUES, M.P., PARRINHA, D., SANTOS, B.S., BANDEIRA, S., BUTLER, B., SOUSA, A.C., BAUER, A.M. & P. WAGNER (2022): All in all, it’s just another branch in the tree: A new species of Acanthocercus FITZINGER, 1843 (Squamata: Agamidae), from Angola. – Zootaxa, 5099 (2): 221-243. Recent integrative taxonomic studies of the agamid genus Acanthocercus Fitzinger, 1843 have shown that Angola harbors three different taxa, all within the Acanthocercus atricollis (Smith, 1849) species complex—A. cyanocephalus (Falk, 1925) in the northeastern parts of the country, A. margaritae Wagner et al. 2021 in the southern regions, and an unnamed species in the central and northwestern parts of Angola. Using the previously published molecular data as evidence of phylogenetic support and newly collected morphological, meristic and coloration data, we here describe this unnamed lineage as a new species. The new species is morphologically very similar to A. cyanocephalus, but it can easily be differentiated from the latter by the coloration pattern of displaying males, with a blue coloration restricted to the head region, and by its inferior scale counts compared to other species of the A. atricollis complex group. As reported in other studies in this group, male breeding coloration is an effective trait for diagnosing these morphologically conserved species. This description raises the number of Acanthocercus species recognized to 15 and is another contribution revealing the rich but still incompletely described herpetological diversity of Angola.
CHIFUNDERA, K. (1988): Le Regime Alientaire du Lezard Tropical African Agama cyanogaster Ruppell, 1835 dans la Region de Lwiro, est du Zaire. – African Study Monographs, 8 (3): 165-172. CURRY-LINDAHL, K. (1957): Behaviour of the tropical rock lizard Agama cyanogaster (Rüppel) in hot environments. – Ann. Soc. zool. Belg., 87: 45-74. KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1954): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über den Rassenkreis Agama cyanogaster und A. atricollis (Teil 1). – Senck. biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35 (3/4): 137-146. RÜPPELL, E. (1835): Description of Acanthocercus cyanogaster. – In: “Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig, entdeckt und beschrieben”. Amphibien. S. Schmerber, Frankfurt a. M. SOUTHGATE, B. (1970): Plasmodium (Sauramoeba) giganteum in Agama cyanogaster: a new host record. – Trans R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg., 64: 12-13. Falks Blaukehlagame / Falk's Blue-headed Tree Agama FALK, K. (1925): Herpetologische Berichte aus Angola (Portugiesisch West-Afrika) [Herpetological reports from Angola (Portuguese West-Africa)]. - Blätter für Aquarien und Terrarienkunde, Stuttgart, 36: 81. ROBERTSON, I.A.D., CHAPMAN, B.M. & R.F. CHAPMAN (1965): Notes on the biology of the lizards Agama cyanogaster and Mabuya striata striata collected in the Rukwa Valley, southwest Tanganyika. – J. Zool. Lond., 145 (2): 305-320. Some details are given of the biology of two species of lizard: Agamu cyanogaster (Ruppell) (Agamidae) and Mabuya striata striata (Peters) (Scincidae). They occupy different niches in the same habitat and their biology differs considerably. Agama is oviparous, laying its eggs in the rainy season so that they hatch before it becomes too dry. Mabuya is ovoviviparous with the young being born mainly in the first half of the dry season. In both species tho variety of diet was wide, but ants were
Blaukehlagame / Blue-headed tree agama, Black-necked (Ridgeback) agama, Southern Tree Agama, Blue-throated Agama GÜNTHER, A. (1894): Report on the collection of reptiles and fishes made by Dr. J. W. Gregory during his expedition to Mount Kenia [sic]. - Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1894: 84-91.
LARGEN, M.J. & S. SPAWLS (2006): Lizards of Ethiopia (Reptilia Sauria): an annotated checklist, bibliography, gazetteer and identification krey. – Trop. Zool., Florence, 19 (1): 28. LARGEN, M.J. & S. SPAWLS (2006): Description Acanthocercus guentherpetersi. – In: Lizards of Ethiopia (Reptilia Sauria): an annotated checklist, bibliography, gazetteer and identification key. – Tropical Zoology, Florence, 19 (1): 21-109.
Kiwu-Blaukehlagame / Kivu Blue-headed tree agama KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1957): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und A. atricollis. 2. Die Unterarten von Agama atricollis. – Senck. biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35: 157-174.
WAGNER, P., BUTLER, B.O., CERIACO, L.M.P. & A.M. BAUER (2021): A new species of the Acanthocercus atricollis complex (Squamata: Agamidae). – Salamandra, 57 (4): 449-463. We describe a new species of the agamid genus Acanthocercus from Namibia and Angola, based on morphological and molecular evidence. The phylogenetic analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene suggests that the new species is closely related to the other taxa from southern Africa and is distinct from species from eastern and northeastern Africa. The new species is characterized by its high scale counts (mean scale rows around midbody 136, mean dorsal scale rows 103, mean ventral scale rows 101) and displaying males showing a blue coloration of the head, forelimbs, flanks of the anterior part of the body and distal half of the tail; a very distinct pale vertebral stripe between the blue flanks and enlarged yellowish dorsal scales on the posterior part of the body. In Namibia the species is restricted to a small area of grassland with mopane and Maklani palms in northern Ovamboland, but its distribution in Angola spans a diversity of habitats. We also recognize a potential new species from northern Angola and discuss the preliminary distribution of Acanthocercus in Angola.
Blaukehlagame / Blue-headed tree agama, Black-necked (Ridgeback) agama, Southern Tree Agama, Blue-throated Agama KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1957): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und A. atricollis. 2. Die Unterarten von Agama atricollis. – Senck. biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35: 157-174.
BOULENGER, G.A. (1895): On the reptiles and batrachians obtained by Mr. E. Lort-Phillips in Somaliland. - Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., 1895 (6) 16: 165-169. PERACCA, M.G. (1897): Sulla presenza dell’Agama Phillipsii, Blgr. Nella Colonia Eritrea. – Bollettino dei Musei di Zoologica ed Anatomia comparata della R. Universita di Torino, 12 (304): 1-2. PETERS, G. (1982): Ein e neue Wirtelschwanzagame aus Ostafrika (Agamidae: Agama). – Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 58 (2): 265-268.
Uganda-Blaukehlagame / Uganda Blue-headed tree agama KLAUSEWITZ, W. (1957): Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und A. atricollis. 2. Die Unterarten von Agama atricollis. – Senck. biol., Frankfurt/Main, 35: 157-174.
AL-JOHANY, A.M. (1995): The ecology of Agama yemensis Klausewitz (Lacertilia: Agamidae) in south-western Arabia. – Journal of Arid Environments, 29 (4): 495-503. A field study of the ecology of Agama yemenensis was carried out in Dalaghan National Park near Abha, Saudi Arabia. This lizard occurs in rocky areas of the highland in the south-west of Arabia. Emergence time, basking, thermoregu- lation and activity period have been determined. The body temperature of active lizards in the field is 29°C, while the selected temperatures in a thermal gradient during the day and night were 32·2°C and 26' 5°C , respectively. Lizards depend on a sit-and-wait strategy, and spend little time feeding on the ground. They feed mainly on ants which are very abundant in their habitat. Seeds, leaflets, twigs and other plant materials are also an important part of their diet . |
||||||||||||||||||