Phrynocephalus helioscopus (PALLAS, 1771)
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Phrynocephalus helioscopus
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Agaminae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus PALLAS 1773 Phrynocephalus helioscopus cameranoi BEDRIAGA 1907 Phrynocephalus helioscopus sergeevi DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV 2012 Phrynocephalus helioscopus turcomanus DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV 2012 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius EICHWALD 1831 |
| Common Names | E: Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama G: Sonnengucker Russian: Такырная круглоголовка Chinese: 旱地沙蜥 |
| Synonym | Lacerta helioscopa PALLAS 1771: 406, 457 Ameiua helioscopa — MEYER 1795: 29 (error typographicus) Ameiua vralensis — MEYER 1795: 29 Phrynocephalus helioscopa KAUP 1827 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — EICHWALD 1831: 186 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — EVERSMANN 1834: 364 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 519 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — BOULENGER 1885: 371 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — ANANJEVA 1981 Phrynocephalus helioscopus — ENGELMANN et al 1993 Phrynocephalus helioscopus cameranoi BEDRIAGA 1907 Phrynocephalus helioscopus var. cameranoi VON BEDRIAGA 1907: 243 Phrynocephalus helioscopus cameranoi — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2012: 1387 Phrynocephalus helioscopus cameranoi — POYARKOV et al. 2014 Phrynocephalus cameranoi — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus cameranoi — WU et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus PALLAS 1771 Lacerta uralensis GMELIN 1789 Phrynocephalus uralensis — FITZINGER 1826: 47 Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus — WERMUTH 1967: 81 Phrynocephalus (Phrynocephalus) helioscopus helioscopus — BARABANOV & ANANJEVA 2007 Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008 Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2012: 1385 Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus — WU et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus sergeevi DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV 2012: 1388 Phrynocephalus helioscopus sergeevi DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV in SOLOVYEVA et al. 2012: 1388 Phrynocephalus sergeevi — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus sergeevi — WU et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus turcomanus DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV 2012 Phrynocephalus helioscopus turcomanus DUNAYEV, SOLOVYEVA & POYARKOV in SOLOVYEVA et al. 2012: 1391 Phrynocephalus turcomanus — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus turcomanus — WU et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius EICHWALD 1831 Phrynocephalus varius EICHWALD 1831: 186 Phrynocephalus nigricans EICHWALD 1831: 186. Phrynocephalus varius — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1837: 515 Phrynocephalus helioscopus saposhnikovi KASHTCHENKO 1909: 122 Phrynocephalus helioscopus orientalis VON BEDRIAGA 1912 Phrynocephalus helioscopus saposchnikowi — NIKOLSKY 1915: 157 (unjustified emend.) Phrynocephalus (Phrynocephalus) helioscopus varius — BARABANOV & ANANJEVA 2007 Phrynocephalus helioscopus saposhnikovi — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2011 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2012: 1386 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius — MILTO & BARABANOV 2012 Phrynocephalus varius — SOLOVYEVA et al. 2023 Phrynocephalus helioscopus varius — WU et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | E Kazakhstan, S Russia (Astrakhan Oblast and Volgograd Oblast), Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, NW China (W Xinjiang), NW Mongolia, NE Iran cameranoi: E Kazakhstan; Type locality: “Кульджа” [= Kuldja] helioscopus: Iran etc.; Type locality: "in deserti australioris collibus ardentissimis"; restricted to the "Inderskija Gory, Gebiet des unteren Uralflusses" [North Kazakhstan] by Mertens & Müller (1928: 26). sergeevi: Uzbekistan: NE Bukhara region, Navoi region. In the south, perhaps, live together with Ph. h. meridionalis: minimal distance between populations of Ph. h. sergeevi and Ph. h. meridionalis is 200 km. It is not excluded that individuals of Ph. h. sergeevi penetrate the northern foothills to the territory of the Uzbek and Tajik parts of the Ferghana Valley (to the Asht settl.). Type locality: Uzbekistan, Navoi region, NE Tamdytau mts., ~40 km NE Zaravshan; between Tamdybulak and Yangitamdy (= Azhyrykty); 41°42′7.10′′ N, 64°02′0.01′′ E, altitude 330 m above sea level. turcomanus: Western Turkmenistan, adjacent areas of North-Eastern Iran (most likely, the area is limited to the Kopet Dagh) and, possibly, Western Afghanistan (it is not excluded, that sunwatcher toad-headed agamas from Afghanistan belong to Ph. h. meridionalis). Type locality: Turkmenistan, Balkan velayat, environs of Krasnovodsk [= Turkmenbashi](40°01′00′′ E, 52°58′00′′ N, 27–30 m elevation). varius: from Eastern Kazakhstan through Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China to western Mongolia. Type locality: "Hab. in Sibiria australi, versus montes Altaicos" |
| Reproduction | Oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: ZMB 781, "Südsibirien", leg. Pallas & Rudolph; Lectotype (designated by Denzer et al., 1997: 324), ZMB 781 Holotype: ZMMU R-13436, paratypes (14 specimens) ZMMU R-12264 [sergeevi] Holotype: ZMMU R-13435, paratypes (6 specimens) ZMMU R-2101 [turcomanus] Holotype: ZISP 8718, “in Sibiria australi, versus montes Altaicos.” Leg: E. Eichwald [varius] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Nasals separated by 3-5 (exceptionally 1) series of scales; width of space between nostrils more than one-half, but not equal to distance between nostril and preocular ridge; scales ofback heterogeneous, enlarged scales nail-like, often tubercular, large part ofscale raised free ofback; sides ofhead and neck without long flat upturned fringe-like scales (but sometimes with short spiny scales); one or both sides of fourth toe with short fringe (Fig. 44); crossbars on tail usually most intense dorsally; nostril not visible in entirety when head viewed from side; no nuchal crest ofmucronate, tubercular scales; transverse fold of skin across back of neck (Anderson 1999: 87). |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after KHALIKOV & ANANJEVA (pers. comm.) and WERMUTH 1967. Note that the subspecies-to-species elevations suggested by Solovyeva et al. 2023 are primarily based on very limited DNA barcoding data, which may be useful to delineate populations but they appear to be a bit preliminary for elevation many species to full species level. However, the subspecies meridionalis and saidalievi were raised to full species, following confirmation by Wu et al. 2023. Distribution: not in Armenia fide Jeff Ettling (pers. comm., 2 April 2015). See map in SMID et al. 2014 for distribution in Iran. Not listed for Iraq (by Mohammed et al. 2017, RJH 24: 193, Smid et al. 2014). Subspecies: Phrynocephalus helioscopus persicus has been elevated to species status. SOLOVYEVA et al. 2011 considered the specific status of saidalievi to be “premature”. Mertens & Müller’s (1928: 26) restriction of the type locality was not accompanied by designation of a lectotype or neotype and is therefore not valid as such. Group: The helioscopus group includes P. ananjevae; P. cameranoi; P. golubewii (?— requires confirmation), P. helioscopus; P. horvathi; P. meridionalis ; P. persicus; P. saidalievi; P. sergeevi; P. turcomanus; P. varius, fide SOLOVYEVA et al. 2023. |
| Etymology | Named after the affinity of the species for sun (Greek: helios) and Greek “skopos” = scout, supervisor. The subspecies sergeevi is named in honor of the outstanding soviet herpetologist Alexey Mikhailovich Sergeev (1912-1943), who made a significant contribution to the study of embryonic adaptations of reptiles, including lizards of Central Asia. The subspecies meridionalis was named so as the most southern taxa (“meridianus” – “south”, lat.) comparing to the others Ph. helioscopus. The subspecies turcomanus was named after the country, within which the main part of the area is located. |
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