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Agama aculeata MERREM, 1820

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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Agaminae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesAgama aculeata distanti (BOULENGER 1902)
Agama aculeata aculeata MERREM 1820 
Common NamesE: Ground Agama
aculeata: Western Ground Agama
distanti: Northern Ground Agama 
SynonymAgama aculeata MERREM 1820: 53
Agama aculeata DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 499 (non MERREM ?)
Trapelus (Psammorrhoa) bibronii FITZINGER 1843 (nom. subst.)
Saura spinalis WAGLER 1866 (nom. subst., partim)
Agama infralineata PETERS 1877
Agama aculeata — BOULENGER 1885: 351
Agama pulchella BOCAGE 1896
Agama aculeata — ROUX 1907: 415
Agama pulchella — GOUGH 1909
Agama aculeata — GOUGH 1909
Agama aculeata var. aculeata — BOULENGER & POWER 1921: 252
Agama hispida aculeata — LOVERIDGE 1936: 52
Agama hispida aculeata — FITZSIMONS & BRAIN 1958
Agama aculeata aculeata — AUERBACH 1987: 98
Agama hispida aculeata — BRYGOO 1988: 3
Agama aculeata — PIANKA & VITT 2003: 123
Agama aculeata aculeata — BATES et al. 2014: 303
Agama aculeata aculeata — BOURQUIN & GRUENER 2017

Agama aculeata distanti (BOULENGER 1902)
Agama distanti BOULENGER 1902: 339
Agama distanti — ROUX 1907: 413
Agama hispida var. distanti — GOUGH 1909
Agama hispida var. distanti — BOULENGER & POWER 1921: 243
Agama hispida var. distanti — LOVERIDGE 1923: 942
Agama aculeata distanti — BOYCOTT 1992
Agama aculeata distanti — BATES et al. 2014: 30 
DistributionNamibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, S Angola, Zambia, Swaziland

Type locality: Otjimbingue [Namibia] [Agama infralineata PETERS 1877]

distanti: Republic of South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, NW Province, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal), Swaziland  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA ([Agama aculeata DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837])
Lectotype: iconotype, Fig. 7 of Seba (1735, II, tomus 8); Holotype: ZMB 750, "in promontorio bonae spei", leg. v. Borcke (actually a Paralectotypus fide TILLACK, pers. comm. 22 Jan 2014, Wagner et al. 2012)
Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.27.98-99 A (unclear fide P. Campbell, pers. comm., March 2019) [distanti]
Syntypes: ZMB 4217, 4218, 4219 [Agama infralineata PETERS 1877] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1493 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentAgama aculeata armata is treated here as a full species.

Synonymy: WERMUTH 1965, WAGNER et al. 2012.

Distribution: not in East Africa; P. Wagner suggested to restrict this name to South African populations (pers. comm. to S. Spawls, 28 June 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after Latin “aculeus” = spike, sting, thorn. 
References
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