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Intellagama lesueurii (GRAY, 1831)

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Higher TaxaAgamidae (Amphibolurinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesIntellagama lesueurii howittii (MCCOY 1884)
Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii (GRAY 1831) 
Common NamesE: lesueurii: Eastern Water Dragon
howittii: Gippsland Water Dragon
G: Australische Wasseragame 
SynonymLophura lesueurii GRAY 1831: 60
Istiurus Lesueurii — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 384
Iguana paramatensis FITZINGER 1843: 49 (nomen nudum)
Physignathus lesueurii — GRAY 1845
Amphibolurus maculiferus GIRARD 1857: 199
Amphibolurus heterurus PETERS 1866: 86
Amphibolurus branchialis DE VIS 1884
Physignathus lesueurii — BOULENGER 1885: 398
Physignathus lesueurii — LUCAS & FROST 1894: 51
Physignathus lesueuri — DE ROOIJ 1915: 133
Physignathus lesueurii — COGGER 1983
Intellagama lesueurii — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 17
Physignathus lesueurii lesueurii — MANTHEY & SCHUSTER 1999: 93
Physignathus lesueurii — COGGER 2000: 345
Physignathus lesueuerii [sic] — PIANKA & VITT 2003: 147
Physignathus lesueurii — WILSON & SWAN 2010: 380
Istiurus lesueurii — TOWNSEND et al. 2011
Intellagama lesueurii — AMEY et al. 2012
Intellagama leuseurii — GARDINER et al. 2014 (in error)
Intellagama leseureuii — GARDINER et al. 2014 (in error)
Intellagama lesuerii lesuerii — BAXTER-GILBERT & RILEY 2015 (in error)
Intellegama lesueurii — BADIANE 2017 (in error)
Intellagama lesueurii — CHAPPLE et al. 2019: 83

Intellagama lesueurii howittii (MCCOY 1884)
Physignathus lesueurii var. howitti MCCOY 1884: 7
Physignathus lesueurii howitti — WORRELL 1963: 75
Physignathus lesueurii howitti — WERMUTH 1965: 93
Intellagama howittii — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 17 
DistributionE Australia.
Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria)

Type locality: “Neu-Südwales (Clarence River)” [Amphibolurus heterurus]

howitti: Australia; Type locality: “upper Buchan River”.  
Reproductionoviparous; Miller et al. 2019 reported parthenogenesis in this species. Temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Nemesházi & Bókony 2023. 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 0392, from Paramatta (sic), N. S. W. (MNHN catalogue indicated from Port-Jackson)
Holotype: unknown, from NSW [Amphibolurus maculiferus]
Syntypes: ZMB 5321-2 [Amphibolurus heterurus]
Syntypes: from neighbourhood of Brisbane, Qld., QM, presumed lost [Amphibolurus branchialis]
Lectotype: NMV D1822, from Upper Buchan River, Vic., designated by Coventry (1970) [howittii] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Large (SVL 5-29 cm), body without very large conical spines or a spiny nuchal hump (in contrast to Molloch), no large skin “frill” around neck (as in Chlamydosaurus), femoral and/or pre-anal pores present, at least in males, tail strongly compressed with a strongly differentiated dorsal keel (from key in Cogger 2014: 692). 
CommentDistribution: Occurrence in New Guinea is based on only one specimen purchased in 1871 and described in 1915 and therefore might be in error (WATKINS-COLWELL & JOHNSTON 1999).

Synonymy after COGGER 1983.

Type species: Lophura lesueurii GRAY 1831 is also the type species of the genus Intellagama WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 17. Lophura lesueurii GRAY 1831 is the type species of the genus Istiurus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837 which was resurrected by TOWNSEND et al. 2011. The genus Lophura is pre-occupied by a genus of phasianid birds (FLEMING 1822). The genus Physignathus is not monophyletic (TOWNSEND et al. 2011), which is why lesueurii has been assigned to various other genera. 
EtymologyNamed after Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846), a French naturalist, artist, and explorer who travelled to both Australia and lived in North America (1815-1837). 
References
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  • Badiane, Arnaud 2017. Predation on an eastern water dragon (Intellegama lesueurii) by a heath monitor (Varanus rosenbergi) in Royal National Park, Australia. Herpetology Notes 10: 339 - get paper here
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