Acanthosaura syrax TRIVALAIRAT, TRIVALAIRAT, MOUNGKHAEK, CAPONOV & LORSUNYALUCK, 2026
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Acanthosaura syrax?
Acanthosaura syrax
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Syrax mountain horned dragon Thai: King Ka Khaow Naam Lek Syrax (กิ้งก่าเขาหนามเล็กไซแรกซ์) |
| Synonym | Acanthosaura syrax TRIVALAIRAT, TRIVALAIRAT, MOUNGKHAEK, CAPONOV & LORSUNYALUCK 2026 |
| Distribution | W Thailand (Kamphaeng Phet) Type locality: Kamphaeng Phet Province, Mae Wong District, Mae Wong National Park, Khun Nam Yen; 16°05'43.5"N, 99°07'25.2"E; 1,340 m a.s.l. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: Thailand • 1 mature male; 23 Apr 2025; collected by Poramad Trivalairat & Krittiya Trivalairat; THNHM31129 (Fig. 1). Paratypes: Thailand • 2 mature females; same data as holotype; THNHM31130–31131; • 3 mature females, 2 mature males; same locality as holotype; 26 May 2025; collected by Poramad Trivalairat & Krittiya Trivalairat; THNHM31132–31136 (Figs 2–4). All collected specimens were kept in 70% alcohol and deposited at the Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand (THNHM). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (n=8). A small-sized species (maximum SVL 101.2 mm for females and 69.6 mm for males) with a single tiny conical spine above the posterior margin of the eye (maximum PS 2.7 mm for females and 2.0 mm for males); small spine on the occiput between the tympanum and the nuchal crest (maximum OS 4.1 mm for females and 2.4 mm for males); tympanum scaleless, small, roundish; less developed gular pouch; present small scales intermixed with three set of medium keeled scales line transversely from dorsal to lateral on the flanks; nuchal crest with six or seven tiny, keeled, compressed, asymmetri- cal triangular spines ascending from the first to the fifth or sixth, then decreas- ing in height; narrow diastema of 5–8 scales between the nuchal and verte- bral crests; vertebral crest composed of small sized saw-like triangular scales beginning in the shoulder region and decreasing in size until the base of the tail; tail 1.06–1.16 of SVL (85.5–106.9 mm for females and 72.4–77.6 mm for males); black collar patch present; black eye patch absent. (Trivalairat et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about less than half a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | The phylogenetic analysis of this species and its congeners appears to have used only ND2 and COI sequences independently, without concatenation (at least not in the trees shown), hence the two topologies are quite different with A. lepidogaster the sister species in the ND2 tree and syrax being an outgroup in the COI tree. |
| Etymology | Named after the dragon “Syrax”, the mount of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. This name is inspired by the species’ distinctive yellow-hued coloration, its relatively diminutive size compared to its congeners, and its significant reproductive output, reflected in its high clutch size. |
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