Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the Iguanidae, and have a similar appearance. Agamids usually have well-developed, strong legs. Their tails cannot be shed and regenerated like those of geckos (and several other families such as skinks), though a certain amount of regeneration is observed in some.[2][3] Many agamid species are capable of limited change of their colours to regulate their body temperature.[4] In some species, males are more brightly coloured than females,[5] and colours play a part in signaling and reproductive behaviours.[6] Although agamids generally inhabit warm environments, ranging from hot deserts to tropical rainforests, at least one species, the mountain dragon, is found in cooler regions. They are particularly diverse in Australia. [7][8][9]
One of the key distinguishing features of the agamids is their teeth, which are borne on the outer rim of their mouths (acrodonts), rather than on the inner side of their jaws (pleurodonts). This feature is shared with the chameleons, but is otherwise unusual among lizards, but is shared with the tuatara. Agamid lizards are generally diurnal, with good vision, and include a number of arboreal species, in addition to ground- and rock-dwellers. Most need to bask in the sun to maintain elevated body temperatures, meaning they are heliothermic. They generally feed on insects and other arthropods (such as spiders), although for some larger species it may include small reptiles or mammals, nestling birds, flowers or other vegetable matter in their diets.[10]
Reproduction
The great majority of agamid species are oviparous.[11] The eggs are mostly found in damp soil or rotting logs to retain enough moisture during the incubation period. The clutch size varies from 4-10 eggs for most species, and incubation period lasts from around 6-8 weeks. Specifically in the Leiolepidinae subfamily of agamids, all species use a burrowing system that reaches moist soil and this is where eggs are deposited in late spring/early summer or at the beginning of the dry season. The Leiolepidinae burrow system is also used for daily or seasonal retreats as it allows them to regulate their body temperature or acts as a refuge from predators.
Very few studies of the Agamidae have been conducted. The first comprehensive assessment was by Moody (1980)[12] followed by a more inclusive assessment by Frost and Etheridge (1989).[13] Subsequent studies were based on mitochondrial DNA loci by Macey et al. (2000)[14] and Honda et al. (2000)[15] and also by sampling across the Agamidae by Joger (1991).[16] Few other studies focused on clades within the family, and the Agamidae have not been as well investigated as the Iguanidae.
The agamids show a curious distribution. They are found over much of the Old World, including continental Africa, Australia, southern Asia, and sparsely in warmer regions of Europe. They are, however, absent from Madagascar and the New World. The distribution is the opposite of that of the iguanids, which are found in just these areas but absent in areas where agamids are found. A similar faunal divide is found in between the boas and pythons.[17]
Uromasticinae (Saara and Uromastyx, Africa and south Asia)
Evolutionary history
The oldest known unambiguous agamid is Protodraco from the mid-Cretaceous (early Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber of Myanmar, dating to around 99 million years ago. It is similar to primitive living Southeast-Asian agamids.[20]Gueragama from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil may also be an agamid.[21]Jeddaherdan, a supposed agamid from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco, was later shown to be actually a young subfossil of the living genus Uromastyx.[22]
Predator responses
Body temperature helps determine the physiological state of these lizards and affects their predator responses. There is a positive correlation between a flight response (running speed) and body temperature of various agamid species.[23] At higher body temperatures, these lizards tend to flee quickly from predators, whereas at lower temperatures where they tend to have a reduced running speed and show an increased fight response, where they are more likely to be aggressive and attack predators.
Certain physical features of some lizards of these species, such as frilled-neck lizards, play a role in their defensive responses as well. During the mating season, males tend to display more of their frill, and give fight responses more often. Both males and females display their frill when they are threatened by predators, as well as during social interactions.[24]
^Thompson, M.B. (1993). "Estimate of the population structure of the e[a]stern water dragon, Physignathus lesueurii (Reptilia : Agamidae), along riverside habitat". Wildlife Research. 20 (5): 613–9. doi:10.1071/WR9930613.
^Ananjeva, Natalia B.; Bryan L. Stuart (2001). "The Agamid lizard Ptyctolaemus phuwtilmensis Manthey and Nabhitabhata, 1991 from Thailand and Laos represents a new genus". Russian Journal of Herpetology. Folium Publishing Company. 8 (3): 165–170.
^de Velasco, Jesus Barraza; Glenn J. Tattersall (September 2008). "The influence of hypoxia on the thermal sensitivity of skin colouration in the bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps". Journal of Comparative Physiology B. 178 (7): 867–875. doi:10.1007/s00360-008-0274-8. PMID 18491114. S2CID 13413178.
^Cuervo, J.J.; R. Shine (10 July 2007). "Hues of a dragon's belly: morphological correlates of ventral coloration in water dragons". Journal of Zoology. 273 (3): 298–304. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00328.x.
^LeBas, Natasha R.; N. Justin Marshall (2000). "The role of colour in signaling and male choice in the agamid lizard Ctenophorus ornatus". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 267 (1442): 445–452. doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.1020. PMC1690562. PMID 10737400.
^Gray JA, Sherratt E, Hutchinson MN, Jones MEH (2019). "Changes in ontogenetic patterns facilitate diversification in skull shape of Australian agamid lizards". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 19 (1): 7. doi:10.1186/s12862-018-1335-6. PMC6325775. PMID 30621580.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Gray JA, Hutchinson MN, Jones ME (2019). "Exceptional disparity in Australian agamid lizards is a possible result of arrival into vacant niche". The Anatomical Record. 302 (9): 1536–1543. doi:10.1002/ar.24096. PMID 30773845.
^Gray JA, Sherratt E, Hutchinson MN, Jones ME (2019). "Evolution of cranial shape in a continental‐scale evolutionary radiation of Australian lizards" (PDF). Evolution. 73 (11): 2216–29. doi:10.1111/evo.13851. PMID 31580481. S2CID 203652748.
^Cogger, H.G. (1994). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. New South Wales: Reed. ISBN978-0-7301-0088-1.
^Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 134–136. ISBN978-0-12-178560-4.
^Moody, S. M. (1980). Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeographical relationships of the genera in the family Agamidae (Reptilia: Lacertilia) (PhD). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. 8017324.
^Frost, Darrel R.; Richard Etheridge (28 September 1989). "A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of iguanian lizards (Reptilia: Squamata)". University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publications. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. 81: 1–65. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
^Macey, J. Robert; James A. Schulte II; Allan Larson. (2000). "Evolution and phylogenetic information content of mitochondrial genomic structural features illustrated with acrodont lizards". Systematic Biology. 49 (2): 257–277. doi:10.1093/sysbio/49.2.257. PMID 12118408..
^Honda, Masanao; Hidetoshi Ota; Mari Kobayashi; Jarujin Nabhitabhata; Hoi-Sen Yong; Showichi Sengoku; Tsutomu Hikida (2000). "Phylogenetic Relationships of the Family Agamidae (Reptilia: Iguania) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences" (PDF). Zoological Science. 1991 (3): 616–622. doi:10.2108/0289-0003(2000)17[527:PROTFA]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0289-0003. S2CID 53607509.
^Joger, Ulrich (1 August 1991). "A Molecular Phylogeny of Agamid Lizards". University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publications. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. 81 (3): 616–622. doi:10.2307/1446389. JSTOR 1446389.
^Heads, Michael (2014). "3 Global affinities of Australasian Groups §Indian + Pacific Ocean Groups". Biogeography of Australasia: A Molecular Analysis. Cambridge University Press. p. 119. ISBN9781107041028.
^B. Ananjeva, Natalia (October 2010). "Asian Agamid lizards (Agamidae, Acrodonta, Sauria, Reptilia): Phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity". Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity. 2 (2): 65. doi:10.4038/tapro.v2i2.3144.
^Wagner, Philipp; Stanley, Edward L.; Daza, Juan D.; Bauer, Aaron M. (August 2021). "A new agamid lizard in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar". Cretaceous Research. 124: 104813. Bibcode:2021CrRes.12404813W. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104813. S2CID 233704307.
^Apesteguía, Sebastián; Daza, Juan D.; Simões, Tiago R.; Rage, Jean Claude (September 2016). "The first iguanian lizard from the Mesozoic of Africa". Royal Society Open Science. 3 (9): 160462. Bibcode:2016RSOS....360462A. doi:10.1098/rsos.160462. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC5043327. PMID 27703708.
^Vullo, Romain; Bailon, Salvador; Dauphin, Yannicke; Monchot, Hervé; Allain, Ronan (November 2022). "A reappraisal of Jeddaherdan aleadonta (Squamata: Acrodonta), the purported oldest iguanian lizard from Africa". Cretaceous Research. 143: 105412. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105412. S2CID 253349389.
^Hertz, Paul E.; Huey, Raymond B.; Nevo, Eviatar (1 August 1982). "Fight versus flight: Body temperature influences defensive responses of lizards". Animal Behaviour. 30 (3): 676–679. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(82)80137-1. ISSN 0003-3472. S2CID 53182102.
^Shine, Richard (May 1990). "Function and evolution of the frill of the Frillneck Lizard, Chlamydosaurus Kingii (sauria: Agamidae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 40 (1): 11–20. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1990.tb00531.x.
External links
Media related to Agamidae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Agamidae at Wikispecies
Agamidae (all species) at The Reptile Database
"Agamidae". Atlas of Living Australia.
May 13, 2023
agamidae, family, over, species, iguanian, lizards, indigenous, africa, asia, australia, southern, europe, many, species, commonly, called, dragons, dragon, lizards, temporal, range, cenomanian, recent, preꞒ, nmale, mwanza, flat, headed, rock, agama, agama, mw. Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa Asia Australia and a few in Southern Europe Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards AgamidaeTemporal range Cenomanian Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg NMale Mwanza flat headed rock agama Agama mwanzae in the Serengeti TanzaniaScientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuborder IguaniaClade AcrodontaFamily AgamidaeGray 1827 1 Subfamilies6 see text Contents 1 Overview 2 Reproduction 3 Systematics and distribution 3 1 Subfamilies 4 Evolutionary history 5 Predator responses 6 References 7 External linksOverview EditPhylogenetically they may be sister to the Iguanidae and have a similar appearance Agamids usually have well developed strong legs Their tails cannot be shed and regenerated like those of geckos and several other families such as skinks though a certain amount of regeneration is observed in some 2 3 Many agamid species are capable of limited change of their colours to regulate their body temperature 4 In some species males are more brightly coloured than females 5 and colours play a part in signaling and reproductive behaviours 6 Although agamids generally inhabit warm environments ranging from hot deserts to tropical rainforests at least one species the mountain dragon is found in cooler regions They are particularly diverse in Australia 7 8 9 This group of lizards includes some more popularly known such as the domesticated bearded dragon Chinese water dragon and Uromastyx species One of the key distinguishing features of the agamids is their teeth which are borne on the outer rim of their mouths acrodonts rather than on the inner side of their jaws pleurodonts This feature is shared with the chameleons but is otherwise unusual among lizards but is shared with the tuatara Agamid lizards are generally diurnal with good vision and include a number of arboreal species in addition to ground and rock dwellers Most need to bask in the sun to maintain elevated body temperatures meaning they are heliothermic They generally feed on insects and other arthropods such as spiders although for some larger species it may include small reptiles or mammals nestling birds flowers or other vegetable matter in their diets 10 Reproduction EditThe great majority of agamid species are oviparous 11 The eggs are mostly found in damp soil or rotting logs to retain enough moisture during the incubation period The clutch size varies from 4 10 eggs for most species and incubation period lasts from around 6 8 weeks Specifically in the Leiolepidinae subfamily of agamids all species use a burrowing system that reaches moist soil and this is where eggs are deposited in late spring early summer or at the beginning of the dry season The Leiolepidinae burrow system is also used for daily or seasonal retreats as it allows them to regulate their body temperature or acts as a refuge from predators Systematics and distribution Edit Ground agama Agama aculeata in Tanzania Pondichery fan throated lizard Sitana ponticeriana from the Agaminae Agamidae in Namibia Very few studies of the Agamidae have been conducted The first comprehensive assessment was by Moody 1980 12 followed by a more inclusive assessment by Frost and Etheridge 1989 13 Subsequent studies were based on mitochondrial DNA loci by Macey et al 2000 14 and Honda et al 2000 15 and also by sampling across the Agamidae by Joger 1991 16 Few other studies focused on clades within the family and the Agamidae have not been as well investigated as the Iguanidae The agamids show a curious distribution They are found over much of the Old World including continental Africa Australia southern Asia and sparsely in warmer regions of Europe They are however absent from Madagascar and the New World The distribution is the opposite of that of the iguanids which are found in just these areas but absent in areas where agamids are found A similar faunal divide is found in between the boas and pythons 17 Subfamilies Edit Among the Agamidae six subfamilies are generally recognized 18 19 Agaminae Africa Europe and south Asia Amphibolurinae Australia and New Guinea 1 species in Southeast Asia Draconinae South and Southeast Asia Hydrosaurinae Hydrosaurus Papua New Guinea the Philippines and Indonesia Leiolepidinae Leiolepis Southeast Asia Uromasticinae Saara and Uromastyx Africa and south Asia Evolutionary history EditThe oldest known unambiguous agamid is Protodraco from the mid Cretaceous early Cenomanian aged Burmese amber of Myanmar dating to around 99 million years ago It is similar to primitive living Southeast Asian agamids 20 Gueragama from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil may also be an agamid 21 Jeddaherdan a supposed agamid from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco was later shown to be actually a young subfossil of the living genus Uromastyx 22 Predator responses EditBody temperature helps determine the physiological state of these lizards and affects their predator responses There is a positive correlation between a flight response running speed and body temperature of various agamid species 23 At higher body temperatures these lizards tend to flee quickly from predators whereas at lower temperatures where they tend to have a reduced running speed and show an increased fight response where they are more likely to be aggressive and attack predators Certain physical features of some lizards of these species such as frilled neck lizards play a role in their defensive responses as well During the mating season males tend to display more of their frill and give fight responses more often Both males and females display their frill when they are threatened by predators as well as during social interactions 24 References Edit Dahms Tierleben www dahmstierlrben de systematik Reptilien Squamata Iguania agamidae Thompson M B 1993 Estimate of the population structure of the e a stern water dragon Physignathus lesueurii Reptilia Agamidae along riverside habitat Wildlife Research 20 5 613 9 doi 10 1071 WR9930613 Ananjeva Natalia B Bryan L Stuart 2001 The Agamid lizard Ptyctolaemus phuwtilmensis Manthey and Nabhitabhata 1991 from Thailand and Laos represents a new genus Russian Journal of Herpetology Folium Publishing Company 8 3 165 170 de Velasco Jesus Barraza Glenn J Tattersall September 2008 The influence of hypoxia on the thermal sensitivity of skin colouration in the bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps Journal of Comparative Physiology B 178 7 867 875 doi 10 1007 s00360 008 0274 8 PMID 18491114 S2CID 13413178 Cuervo J J R Shine 10 July 2007 Hues of a dragon s belly morphological correlates of ventral coloration in water dragons Journal of Zoology 273 3 298 304 doi 10 1111 j 1469 7998 2007 00328 x LeBas Natasha R N Justin Marshall 2000 The role of colour in signaling and male choice in the agamid lizard Ctenophorus ornatus Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 267 1442 445 452 doi 10 1098 rspb 2000 1020 PMC 1690562 PMID 10737400 Gray JA Sherratt E Hutchinson MN Jones MEH 2019 Changes in ontogenetic patterns facilitate diversification in skull shape of Australian agamid lizards BMC Evolutionary Biology 19 1 7 doi 10 1186 s12862 018 1335 6 PMC 6325775 PMID 30621580 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Gray JA Hutchinson MN Jones ME 2019 Exceptional disparity in Australian agamid lizards is a possible result of arrival into vacant niche The Anatomical Record 302 9 1536 1543 doi 10 1002 ar 24096 PMID 30773845 Gray JA Sherratt E Hutchinson MN Jones ME 2019 Evolution of cranial shape in a continental scale evolutionary radiation of Australian lizards PDF Evolution 73 11 2216 29 doi 10 1111 evo 13851 PMID 31580481 S2CID 203652748 Cogger H G 1994 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia New South Wales Reed ISBN 978 0 7301 0088 1 Bauer Aaron M 1998 Cogger H G Zweifel R G eds Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians San Diego Academic Press pp 134 136 ISBN 978 0 12 178560 4 Moody S M 1980 Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeographical relationships of the genera in the family Agamidae Reptilia Lacertilia PhD Ann Arbor University of Michigan 8017324 Frost Darrel R Richard Etheridge 28 September 1989 A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of iguanian lizards Reptilia Squamata University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publications University of Kansas Museum of Natural History 81 1 65 Retrieved 5 January 2012 Macey J Robert James A Schulte II Allan Larson 2000 Evolution and phylogenetic information content of mitochondrial genomic structural features illustrated with acrodont lizards Systematic Biology 49 2 257 277 doi 10 1093 sysbio 49 2 257 PMID 12118408 Honda Masanao Hidetoshi Ota Mari Kobayashi Jarujin Nabhitabhata Hoi Sen Yong Showichi Sengoku Tsutomu Hikida 2000 Phylogenetic Relationships of the Family Agamidae Reptilia Iguania Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences PDF Zoological Science 1991 3 616 622 doi 10 2108 0289 0003 2000 17 527 PROTFA 2 0 CO 2 ISSN 0289 0003 S2CID 53607509 Joger Ulrich 1 August 1991 A Molecular Phylogeny of Agamid Lizards University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publications American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists 81 3 616 622 doi 10 2307 1446389 JSTOR 1446389 Heads Michael 2014 3 Global affinities of Australasian Groups Indian Pacific Ocean Groups Biogeography of Australasia A Molecular Analysis Cambridge University Press p 119 ISBN 9781107041028 Agamidae UniProt Taxonomy B Ananjeva Natalia October 2010 Asian Agamid lizards Agamidae Acrodonta Sauria Reptilia Phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity Taprobanica The Journal of Asian Biodiversity 2 2 65 doi 10 4038 tapro v2i2 3144 Wagner Philipp Stanley Edward L Daza Juan D Bauer Aaron M August 2021 A new agamid lizard in mid Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar Cretaceous Research 124 104813 Bibcode 2021CrRes 12404813W doi 10 1016 j cretres 2021 104813 S2CID 233704307 Apesteguia Sebastian Daza Juan D Simoes Tiago R Rage Jean Claude September 2016 The first iguanian lizard from the Mesozoic of Africa Royal Society Open Science 3 9 160462 Bibcode 2016RSOS 360462A doi 10 1098 rsos 160462 ISSN 2054 5703 PMC 5043327 PMID 27703708 Vullo Romain Bailon Salvador Dauphin Yannicke Monchot Herve Allain Ronan November 2022 A reappraisal of Jeddaherdan aleadonta Squamata Acrodonta the purported oldest iguanian lizard from Africa Cretaceous Research 143 105412 doi 10 1016 j cretres 2022 105412 S2CID 253349389 Hertz Paul E Huey Raymond B Nevo Eviatar 1 August 1982 Fight versus flight Body temperature influences defensive responses of lizards Animal Behaviour 30 3 676 679 doi 10 1016 S0003 3472 82 80137 1 ISSN 0003 3472 S2CID 53182102 Shine Richard May 1990 Function and evolution of the frill of the Frillneck Lizard Chlamydosaurus Kingii sauria Agamidae Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 40 1 11 20 doi 10 1111 j 1095 8312 1990 tb00531 x External links Edit Media related to Agamidae at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Agamidae at Wikispecies Agamidae all species at The Reptile Database Agamidae Atlas of Living Australia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Agamidae amp oldid 1154518205, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
