Agama anchietae

Agama anchietae
A. anchietae in Namibia
In South Africa
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Agamidae
Genus:	Agama
Species:	A. anchietae
Binomial name
Agama anchietae Bocage, 1896

Agama anchietae, also known commonly as Anchieta's agama and the western rock agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, anchietae, is in honor of Portuguese naturalist José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, who was an explorer of Africa.[2][3]

Geographic range

A. anchietae is found in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Namibia, and South Africa.[2]

Habitat

A. anchietae is found in a variety of habitats including desert, shrubland, and grassland.[4]

Diet

The diet of A. anchietae consists of insects (primarily ants).[5]

Description

A. anchietae shows signs of sexual dimorphism. Males tend to have a wider head and a longer tail than females. This species is one of the more cryptically coloured members of the genus Agama, as opposed to the more colourful species such as Agama planiceps. This is associated with its relatively solitary lifestyle; colourful species such as A. planiceps are comparatively much more social.[5]

Dorsal side

Ventral side

Reproduction

A. anchietae is oviparous.[2]

References

1. de Villiers, A.; Bates, M.F.; Conradie, W.; Ceríaco, L.M.P.; Tolley, K.A. (2020). "Agama anchietae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T17450294A139699477. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T17450294A139699477.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. Species Agama anchietae at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Agama anchietae, p. 8).
4. "Anchieta's Agama - Agama anchietae - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
5. Buiswalelo, Bertha; Eiseb, Seth; Goedhals, Jacqueline; Verdú‐Ricoy, Joaquín; Heideman, Neil (18 September 2019). "Reproduction, predation, sexual dimorphism and diet in Agama anchietae (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Namibia". African Journal of Ecology. 58 (2): 227–235. doi:10.1111/aje.12693. S2CID 203888021. Retrieved 2020-03-05.

Further reading

• Bocage JVB (1896). "Sur deux Agames d'Angola à écaillure héterogène". Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes, Academia Real das Sciencias de Lisboa, Segunda Série 4: 127–130. (Agama anchietae, new species, pp. 129–130). (in French).