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Agama cristata MOCQUARD, 1905

IUCN Red List - Agama cristata - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Agaminae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Insular Agama 
SynonymAgama cristata MOCQUARD 1905: 288
Agama cristata — GUIBÉ 1954
Agama cristata — TRAPE 2011
Agama cristata — MEDIANNIKOV, TRAPE & TRAPE 2012: 130 
DistributionGuinea (Conakry), Mali

Type locality: Bomanesco (Sankaran) in Guinea  
Reproductionoviparous (phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 1901.0394 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A large species of Agama (total length of adult male up to 340 mm), which is characterized by its bluish-black colouration on the throat and the large nuchal and tail crests of adult males. The species differs from nearly all other Agama species in having a large tail crest, usually reaching the last third of the tail. Only three other species, A. boulengeri, A. kirkii and A. knobeli, have such a prominent tail crest.


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CommentSynonymy: Wermuth (1967) lists this species with a question mark indicating uncertain status. Agama insularis CHABANAUD 1918: 161 has been revalidated from the synonymy of A. cristata by TRAPE 2011.

Nomenclature: Agama cristata is a junior primary homonym of Agama cristata MERREM 1820 (= Corytophanes cristatus (Iguanidae) according to BARABANOV (2008). However, WAGNER & BÖHME (2009) did not accept this suggestion because in accordance to article 23.9.5 of the ICZN (1999) the author failed to refer the case to the Commission of Zoological Nomenclature which would be necessary because both taxa are not congeneric since 1827, where BOIE (in SCHLEGEL1827) connects Merrem’s cristata as type species with his newly described genus Corythophanes.

Distribution: MEDIANNIKOV et al. 2012 give only Mali as distribution. Not in Benin fide ULLENBRUCH et al. 2010.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
References
  • Barts, M. & Wilms, T. 2003. Die Agamen der Welt. Draco 4 (14): 4-23 - get paper here
  • Böhme, W. 1985. Zoogeographical patterns of the lizard fauna of the African subsaharan savanna belt, with preliminary description of a new chameleon. In: Schuchmann, Karl-L. (Hrsg.): Proceedings of the International Symposium on African Vertebrates. Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolutionary Ecology. - Museum A. Koenig (Bonn), Vol. 4: 471-478.
  • Böhme, Wolfgang, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Christian Brede & Philipp Wagner 2011. The reptiles (Testudines, Squamata, Crocodylia) of the forested southeast of the Republic Guinea (Guinée forestière), with a country-wide checklist. Bonn zoological Bulletin 60 (1): 35-61 - get paper here
  • Chabanaud,P. 1918. Etude d’une collection de reptiles de l’Afrique occidentale francais. Bull. Mus. nation. Mist. nat. Paris 24: 160-166
  • Mediannikov, Oleg; Sébastien Trape, Jean-François Trape 2012. A Molecular Study of the Genus Agama (Squamata: Agamidae) in West Africa, with Description of Two New Species and a Review of the Taxonomy, Geographic Distribution, and Ecology of Currently Recognized Species. Russ. J. Herpetol. 19 (2): 115-142 - get paper here
  • Mocquard, M.F. 1905. Description de deux nouvelles especes de Reptiles. Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris 11: 288-290 - get paper here
  • Trape, J.F.; Trape, S. & Chirio, L. 2012. Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. IRD Orstom, 503 pp. - get paper here
  • Trape, Jean-François 2011. Agama cristata Mocquard, 1905 and Agama insularis Chabanaud, 1918 (Squamata, Agamidae): Two Valid West African Species. Journal of Herpetology 45 (3): 352-354. - get paper here
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Wagner, P.; Ineich, I.; Leaché, A.D.; Wilms, T.M.; Trape, S.; Böhme, W. & Schmitz, A. 2009. Studies on African Agama VI. Taxonomic status of the West African Agama (Sauria: Agamidae) with prominent tail crests: Agama boulengeri Lataste 1886, Agama insularis Chabanaud, 1918 and Agama cristata Mocquard, 1905. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 56 (4): 239–253 - get paper here
  • Wagner, Philipp and Wolfgang Böhme 2009. On the Nomenclatural Status of Agama cristata Mocquard, 1905: A Reply to A. Barabanov (2008). Russ. J. Herpetol. 16 (2): 161-162 - get paper here
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
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