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Ctenophorus modestus (AHL, 1926)

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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Amphibolurinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common Names 
SynonymAmphibolurus modestus AHL 1926: 187 (fide COGGER 1983)
Ctenophorus modestus — STUART-FOX et al. 2020
Ctenophorus modestus — DONG et al. 2021 
DistributionAustralia (South Australia)

Type locality: “Australien”, without further details  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: ZMB 54516, subadult male; paralectotype: ZMB 30092, adult female, designated by Dong et al. 2021. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Ctenophorus modestus is a member of the C. decresii species group (Houston, 1974; Houston and Hutchinson, 1998). Within the C. decresii species group, C. modestus is distinguishable by the following combination of characters: snout scales smooth to longitudinally keeled; vertebral scales flat; a smooth-edged dark lateral stripe, sometimes interrupted to form a separate blotch posterior to the tympanum; and in males, throat coloration is polymorphic (orange, yellow, orange-yellow, or gray) with or without an overlay of gray reticulations and a small central black patch (Dong et al. 2021).


Additional details (3130 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentWells and Wellington (1985) previously resurrected C. modestus (Ahl, 1926) from synonymy with C. decresii and nominated the larger of the two syntypes as a lectotype. However, they provided no rationale or evidence to support this decision. See Dong et al. 2021 for a discussion why they regard Wells and Wellington’s (1985) recognition of C. modestus as unavailable. 
EtymologyProbably named after Latin modestus, restrained, mild; modest; reserved, possibly for the small size or inconspicuous coloration. 
References
  • Ahl, E. 1926. Neue Eidechsen und Amphibien. Zool. Anz. 67: 186-192
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Bian, X., Pinilla, A., Chandler, T., & Peters, R. 2021. Simulations with Australian dragon lizards suggest movement-based signal effectiveness is dependent on display structure and environmental conditions. Scientific Reports, 11(1): 1-11 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Dong, Caroline M.; Greg R. Johnston, Devi Stuart-Fox, Adnan Moussalli, Katrina J. Rankin, Claire A. McLean 2021. Elevation of Divergent Color Polymorphic and Monomorphic Lizard Lineages (Squamata: Agamidae) to Species Level. Copeia 109 (1): 43–54 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1837. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete des Reptiles. Vol. 4. Libr. Encyclopédique Roret, Paris, 570 pp. - get paper here
  • Fitzinger, L. 1843. Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae. Braumüller et Seidel, Wien: 106 pp. - get paper here
  • Gibbons, J. R. H. & Lillywhite, H. B. 1981. Ecological segregation, color matching, and speciation in lizards of the Amphibolurus decresii species complex (Lacertilia: Agamidae). Ecology 62: 1573-1584 - get paper here
  • Lewis AC, Rankin KJ, Pask AJ, Stuart-Fox D. 2017. Stress-induced changes in color expression mediated by iridophores in a polymorphic lizard. Ecol Evol. 00:1–11 - get paper here
  • Macey, J. R., J. A. Schulte II, A. Larson, N. B. Ananjeva, Y. Wang, R. Pethiyagoda, N. Rastegar-Pouyani, T. J. Papenfuss 2000. Evaluating trans-Tethys migration: an example using acrodont lizard phylogenetics. Systematic Biology 49 (2): 233-256 - get paper here
  • Manthey,U. & SCHUSTER,N. 1999. Agamen, 2. Aufl. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 120 pp. - get paper here
  • McLean, Claire A., Adnan Moussalli, Steve Sass, and Devi Stuart-Fox 2013. Taxonomic Assessment of the Ctenophorus decresii Complex (Reptilia: Agamidae) Reveals a New Species of Dragon Lizard from Western New South Wales. Records of the Australian Museum 65(3): 51–63 - get paper here
  • McLean, Claire A; Devi Stuart-Fox and Adnan Moussalli 2015. Environment, but not genetic divergence, influences geographic variation in colour morph frequencies in a lizard. BMC Evolutionary Biology 15:156<br />DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0442-x - get paper here
  • Ramos JA and Peters RA 2021. Territorial Displays of the Ctenophorus decresii. Front. Ecol. Evol. 9:731705 - get paper here
  • Rankin K, Stuart-Fox D 2015. Testosterone-Induced Expression of Male Colour Morphs in Females of the Polymorphic Tawny Dragon Lizard, Ctenophorus decresii. PLoS One 10 (10): e0140458, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140458 - get paper here
  • Sass, S & Swan, G. 2010. A newly discovered population of the endangered Tawny Rock Dragon Ctenophorus decresii in far western New South Wales and a description of its habitat. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 40 (1): 52-57 - get paper here
  • Storr, G. M. 1982. Revision of the bearded dragons (Lacertilia: Agamidae) of Western Australia with notes on the dismemberment of the genus Amphibolurus. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 19 (2): 199-214 - get paper here
  • Stuart‐Fox, D., Aulsebrook, A., Rankin, K.J., Dong, C.M. and McLean, C.A. 2020. Convergence and divergence in lizard colour polymorphisms. Biological Reviews - get paper here
  • Tallowin, Oliver J S; Shai Meiri, Stephen C Donnellan, Stephen J Richards, Christopher C Austin, Paul M Oliver 2019. The other side of the Sahulian coin: biogeography and evolution of Melanesian forest dragons (Agamidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 129: 99-113. - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
  • Yewers MSC, Stuart‐Fox D, McLean CA. 2018. Space use and genetic structure do not maintain color polymorphism in a species with alternative behavioral strategies. Ecol Evol. 2018;00:1–12 - get paper here
 
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