Agama aculeata

ReptiliaSquamataAgamidaeAgama
Written By Gary Nicolau

Common Ground Agama

Alternative Names
Anchieta se Koggelmander (Afrikaans)

Species: Agama aculeata Merrem, 1820

Distribution: Angola; Botswana; Eswatini; Lesotho; Namibia; South Africa
Distribution continued: May occur in Mozambique

Type Locality:
Notes:

Habitat: Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland
Habitat extended: Sandy and rocky regions.

 

Natural History: Terrestrial Locally abundant. Often retreats into burrows when encountered.

Biology: Oviparous, females generally lay eggs in burrows within the soil.

Conservation Status: According to the IUCN Red List, this species is classified as "Least Concern," indicating that it is not currently considered to be at high risk of extinction.

Additional reading

The Reptile Database (See here)
IUCN Red List (See here)
iNaturalist (See here)

LITERATURE

  • Ambrose D. 2006. Lesotho Annotated Bibliography Section 166: Reptiles Including Annotated Checklist. Mamhlongo Productions, Roma. pp 20.

  • Billawer, W. H., & Heideman, N. J. L. (1996). A comparative analysis of diurnal behavioural activities in males of Agama aculeata aculeata and A. planiceps planiceps (Reptilia: Agamidae) in Windhoek, Namibia. African Journal of Herpetology, 45(2), 68-73.

  • Goldberg, S. R., & Bursey, C. R. (2005). Helminths of the ground agama, Agama aculeata (Sauria: Agamidae), from South Africa. African Zoology, 40(1), 158-159.

  • Heideman, N. J. L. (1993). Does crypsis reduce predation pressure in agama lizards? Evidence from tail damage. Amphibia-reptilia, 14, 195-197.

  • Heideman, N. J. L. (1994). Reproduction in Agama aculeata aculeata and Agama planiceps planiceps females from Windhoek, Namibia. Amphibia-Reptilia, 15(4), 351-361.

  • Heideman, N. J. L. (1995). The relationship between reproduction, and abdominal fat body and liver condition in Agama aculeata aculeata and Agama planiceps planiceps (Reptilia: Agamidae) males in Windhoek, Namibia. Journal of Arid Environments, 31(1), 105-114.

  • Heideman, N. J. L. (1997). The effect of varying photothermal regime on testicular activity in Agama aculeata aculeata Merrem, 1820 and Agama planiceps planiceps Peters, 1862 (Reptilia: Agamidae). Journal of African Zoology (Belgium), 111(2).

  • Heideman, N. J. L. (2002). A comparison of the breeding and nonbreeding season diets of Agama aculeata and Agama planiceps (Reptilia: Agamidae) in Windhoek, Namibia. Journal of herpetology, 36(3), 515-520.

  • Jacobsen, N. H. G. (1992). The status of Agama aculeata armata Peters 1854,(Reptilia: Agamidae). The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa, 41(1), 30-34.

  • Leaché, A. D., Chong, R. A., Papenfuss, T. J., Wagner, P., Böhme, W., SCHMITZ, A., ... & EL DIN, S. B. (2009). Phylogeny of the genus Agama based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Bonner zoologische Beiträge, 56(4), 273-278.

  • Leaché, A.D., Wagner, P., Linkem, C.W., Böhme, W., Papenfuss, T.J., Chong, R.A., Lavin, B.R., Bauer, A.M., Nielsen, S.V., Greenbaum, E. and Rödel, M.O. (2014). A hybrid phylogenetic–phylogenomic approach for species tree estimation in African Agama lizards with applications to biogeography, character evolution, and diversification. . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 79: 215-230.

  • Merrem, B. (1820). Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien I (Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum). J. C. Kriegeri, Marburg.

  • Wagner, P., Bauer, A. M., Wilms, T. M., Barts, M., & Böhme, W. (2012). Miscellanea accrodontia: notes on nomenclature, taxonomy and distribution. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 19(2), 177-189.

Gary Nicolau
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