agama atra

ANIMALIA / CHORDATA / REPTILIA / SQUAMATA / AGAMIDAE / AGAMA / ATRA

Agama atra Daudin, 1802

indigenous LC

Report Error Export Excel

Morphological description

Boulenger (1885) re-described this species as follows: The head is moderate and depressed in shape. It has tubular nostril, pierced in a small convex nasal upon the canthus rostralis. Upper head-scales are smooth or feebly keeled, occipital is slightly enlarged. Group of small spines covered the posterior sides of the head together with the neck. The ear-opening is larger than the eye-opening. Male lack a regular gular pouch. Body is much depressed, covered with small imbricate keeled scales, with the largest on the vertebral line and they sometimes intermixed with scattered enlarged ones. Distinct curved fold occurs along each side of the back. a short nuchal crest; no distinct dorsal crest; ventral scales small and smooth. Limbs are moderate with a tibia of equal length with the skull (to occiput). The third finger very slightly shorter than fourth. fourth toe slightly longer than third, fifth extending beyond first. Tail length is nearly as twice as the length from gular fold to vent. The vent is roundish in the female whilst in male is strongly compressed and crested also covered with equal strongly keeled scales forming distinct annuli. Male with a row of anal pores. Olive-brown above, spotted or speckled with black, some- times nearly black; a lighter, yellowish-brown vertebral band; lower surfaces with distinct dark network or lines, which appear blackish blue in the breeding male.

Diagnostic description

Male Southern Rock Agamas have a white vertebral stripe (Alexander and Marais, 2007).

Type notes

Syntypes: MNHN-RA 2604-2605, MNHN-RA 2604A and MNHN-RA 2605A (syntypes reported from BMNH are in error, fide I. Ineich, pers. comm.) Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.27.94-96 (95.10.19.57) [microterolepis] Lectotype: ZMB 42887 (designated by DENZER et al. 1997), ad. Ex., "Mpome", leg. A. & M. Krothe. Paralectotype: ZMB 42888, juv. Ex., same as lectotype; Terra typica: Mpome, Transvaal [micropholis]

Taxonomic notes

This information was extracted from Tolley et al. (2023): Although not formally elevated, A. atra knobeli from Namibia has been treated as a full species (Matthee and Flemming, 2002; Swart et al., 2009). Subsequent phylogenetic studies show that A. knobeli is not valid (Nielsen, 2016), and it therefore must be treated as a junior synonym of A. atra. Agama atra can be confused with A. anchietae, possibly resulting in incorrect distribution mapping in some areas of the Northern Cape province where they presumably co-occur.

Global distribution

Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa

SA distribution

This species occurs throughout most of South Africa, extending into southern Namibia, Lesotho and marginally into southern Botswana. There are gaps in the distribution in northeast KwaZulu-Natal province and the Kalahari region. Records from Eswatini are considered doubtful (Boycott 1992a) and are therefore not included as part of the distribution (Tolley et al., 2023).

Movement

In general, lizards can sprint, crawl, climb, jump, and glide. When sprinting on four legs, lizards often move their forefeet diagonally in unison—the right forefoot with the left hand and the left forefoot with the right hand. The body's bent is simultaneously reversed. The shoulders, hips, and other joints in the legs as well as the bending of the back all contribute to moving the feet forward. Leg and back muscles work together to power running (Alexander, 2012).

Trophic level

Carnivore - Insectivore (insect-eating)

Trophic strategy

Southern rock agama is diurnal, ambush predator that feeds mainly on ants and termites, although beetles and grasshoppers are also taken; and they may feed on plant material (Branch, 1998). Coastal populations may also eat various intertidal arthropods (Branch, 1998; Cooper, 2005).

Reproduction

Information below is extracted from Branch (1998): Egg development in Southern Rock Agamas starts in August-September. Gravid females, bulging with eggs, bask to speed the formation of yolk from the fat stores laid down in the previous autumn. The first clutch of 7-18 oval, soft-shelled eggs is laid in October-November in a shallow hole dug in damp soil; a second clutch is usually laid in January-February. It may take over 3 hours for the female to dig the nest hole, lay her eggs and then refill and camouflage the site. Incubation takes 2-3 months.

Behaviour

The Southern Rock Agama forms dense colonies of up to 165 specimen per hectare. Both male and female form hierarchies and maintain territories. In the territories there is always a dominant male or female. Dominant males perch on the highest point of their territory, nodding their brightly coloured head as a signal for lesser males to stay clear. In times of danger, they hug the rock they are on and their bright head fades and becomes camouflaged against the lichen-covered rock. If this fails, they quickly scamper off, leaping from boulder to boulder to shelter in a deep crack (Branch, 1998). All agamas are diurnal and spend the night sleeping in their retreats (Alexander and Marais, 2007).

Biome

Albany Thicket, Desert, Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Savanna Moist, Savanna: Arid, Succulent Karoo

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: Data partners records: DNA:

Residence status

Occurrence in African countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, or alien in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature.

FSA

BOT

NAM

ESW

LES

KZN

Absent

Indigenous

Endemic

Naturalised

Invasive

seasav

Names and Sources

Common Name	Language
Southern African Rock Agama, Southern Rock Agama	EN
Suidelike Rotskoggelmander	En
South African Rock (Or Mountain) Agama	EN
Southern Rock Agama	EN

Classification

KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Reptilia

ORDER Squamata

FAMILY Agamidae

GENUS Agama

SPECIES atra

No results found for Agama atra Daudin, 1802

Uses

No Data.

20 results for Agama atra Daudin, 1802

Records
View map of all occurrence

Narrow your results

Year

1910 (3)

1985 (1)

1986 (3)

2007 (3)

2008 (1)

2010 (2)

2012 (3)

2014 (2)

2016 (2)

Province

eastern cape, south africa (4)

kwazulu-natal (2)

limpopo, south africa (1)

northern cape (1)

northern cape, south africa (3)

western cape (5)

western cape, south africa (4)