Tropicagama temporalis (GÜNTHER, 1867)
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Tropicagama temporalis
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Amphibolurinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Swamplands Lashtail, Northern Water Dragon G: Papua-Wasserdrachen |
| Synonym | Grammathophora temporalis GÜNTHER 1867 (part.) Lophognathus lateralis MACLEAY 1877: 103 Lophognathus labialis BOULENGER 1883: 225 Lophognathus maculilabris BOULENGER 1883: 226 Physignathus temporalis — BOULENGER 1885: 397 Physignathus maculilabris — BOULENGER 1885: 398 Physignathus temporalis — DE ROOIJ 1915: 131 Physignathus maculilabris — DE ROOIJ 1915: 132 Physignathus maculilabris — WERMUTH 1967: 94 Gemmatophora temporalis — STORR 1983 Lophognathus temporalis — COGGER 1983 Amphibolurus temporalis — EHMANN 1992 Lophognathus temporalis — COGGER 2000: 342 Lophognathus maculilabris — BARTS & WILMS 2003 Amphibolurus temporalis — WILSON & SWAN 2010: 352 Lophognathus temporalis — MELVILLE et al. 2011 Lophognathus maculilabris — MELVILLE et al. 2011 Gowidon temporalis — WILSON & SWAN 2013: 408 Gowidon temporalis — COGGER 2014: 740 Tropicagama temporalis — MELVILLE et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | Indonesia (Irian Jaya), Australia (N Northern Territory, Queensland ?, extreme NE Western Australia) Type locality: Port Essington, N. T. (by lectotype designation) maculilabris: Indonesia (Timor Laut = Tanimbar Islands); Type locality: Timor Laut Islands. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: BMNH 1946.8.28.72, paralectotype BMNH 1946.8.12.63, designated by Cogger 1983, from Port Essington, N. T. and Nickol Bay, W. A. but restricted to Port Essington by lectotype designation. Holotype: AM R31882, from Mawatta, Binaturi River (as Katow), Papua New Guinea [Lophognathus lateralis] Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.12.72, BMNH 1946.8.12.63, from Port Essington, N. T. [Lophognathus labialis] Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.28.70-71 (formerly BMNH 1919.8.26.13-14) [maculilabris] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): A monotypic genus consisting of a large agamid lizard in the subfamily Amphibolurinae, with exposed tympanum, gular scales smooth to weakly keeled, ventral scales smooth to weakly keeled. Very long-limbed, prominent erectable nuchal crest. Long tail and head relatively narrow for length. Dorsal scales uniform, with keels converging posteriorly toward midline. Prominent pale dorsolateral stripes that are broadly continuous with wide pale stripe along upper and lower jaw. Lacks well-defined pale stripe between eye and ear. Upper portion of head usually dark grey or black and uniformly coloured. Under the head, on the chin, gular and neck areas, there is dark grey or black uniform pigmentation in adult males, with two narrow white stripes extending from the back of the jaw anteriorly under the chin, parallel to the jaw, ending approximately half way along the jaw. Femoral pores 1–6; preanal pores 2 (range 1–3). |
| Comment | Illustration in BARTS & WILMS 2003. Synonymy: mostly after Melville et al. 2018. Lophognathus lateralis is listed under Physignathus by BOULENGER (1885) but considered as doubtful. The phylogenetic analysis of Melville et al. 2011 concluded that “L. temporalis awaits taxonomic revision”, but it is clearly more closely related to Pogana than to Gowidon / Lophognathus longirostris. The name change by WILSON & SWAN 2013 thus appears a bit premature. Type species: Grammathophora temporalis GÜNTHER 1867 (part.) is the type species of the genus Tropicagama MELVILLE et al. 2018. |
| Etymology | Presumably named after the Latin temporalis (of the temporal region), relating to the dark stripe, bordered above and below by white, described by Günther. The temporal region, first introduced in human anatomy, was derived from the Latin tempus (time) because it is the first region in which aging shows with greying of the hair (Field & Harrison, 1968). (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) |
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