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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.

Genome: Powell et al. 2024.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
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).

The genus Intellagama was possibly named after the Latin intellectus (understanding, perception) plus Spanish agama (type genus of the family Agamidae). The species Intellagama lesueurii is considered to have a mammal-like intelligence. Derivation not stated by Wells & Wellington (1985). 
References
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  • AMEY, ANDREW P.; , PATRICK J. COUPER & GLENN M. SHEA 2012. Intellagama lesueurii (Gray, 1831), the correct binomial combination for the Australian Eastern Water Dragon (Sauria, Agamidae). Zootaxa 3390: 65–67 - get paper here
  • 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
  • BAIRD, TERESA D.; TROY A. BAIRD & RICHARD SHINE. 2021. INTELLAGAMA LESUEURII (Eastern Water Dragon). WARNING DISPLAY. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 650. - get paper here
  • Baird, Troy A.; Teresa D. Baird & Richard Shine 2023. Ecological Correlates of Small Territories and Intra-Seasonal Variation in the Social Context of Displays in Male Water Dragons, Intellagama lesueurii. Journal of Herpetology 57 (3): 274-280 - get paper here
  • BAIRD, TROY A.; TERESA D. BAIRD & RICHARD SHINE. 2021. Small Breeding Season Home Ranges and Egg-Laying Migrations in Urban Female Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii). Journal of Herpetology 55 (4): 404–410. - get paper here
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