Caucasian agama

The Caucasian agama (Paralaudakia caucasia) is a species of agamid lizard found in the Caucasus, E/S Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Dagestan (Russia), E Turkey, Iraq, N Iran, Afghanistan, NW Pakistan, and parts of Kashmir.

Caucasian Agama
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Paralaudakia
Species:
P. caucasia
Binomial name
Paralaudakia caucasia
(Eichwald, 1831)
Synonyms

Stellio caucasicus
Laudakia caucasia

Description

Head much depressed; nostril lateral, below the canthus rostralis, slightly tubular. Upper head-scales smooth; occipital not enlarged; small conical spinose scales on the side of the head near the ear, and on the neck; ear larger than the eye-opening. Throat strongly plicate; no gular pouch. Body much depressed, with a very indistinct lateral fold; nuchal and latero-dorsal scales very small, granular; vertebral region with enlarged flat, feebly keeled, rather irregular scales; flanks with enlarged, strongly keeled or spinose scales; no nuchal denticulation; ventral scales smooth, distinctly smaller than the enlarged dorsals. 150 to 160 scales round the middle of the body. Limbs strong, with compressed digits; the scales on the upper surface of limbs much enlarged, strongly keeled, generally spinose; fourth finger slightly longer than third; fourth toe a little longer than third, fifth extending beyond first. Tail rounded, depressed at the base, covered with rather large spinose scales arranged in rings, two rings forming a distinct segment; the length of the tail doos not equal quite twice the distance from gular fold to vent. Male with a large patch of callose preanal scales and an enormous patch of similar scales on the belly. Olivaceous above, with round yellowish black-edged spots, the black frequently forming a network; vertebral region yellowish, limbs with more or less distinct yellowish cross bars; lower surface yellowish in the female, blackish in the breeding male.[1]

From snout to vent 5 inches.

Notes
  1. Boulenger, G. A. 1890. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.
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References
  • Ananjeva, N. B. and Orlova, V. F. 1979 Distribution and geographic variability of Agama caucasia (Eichwald, 1831) (in Russian). Proceedings of the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences, U.S.S.R. 89, 4-17
  • Ananjeva, N.B.; Atajev, J. 1984 Stellio caucasica triannulatus - A new Subspecies of the caucasian Agama from South- Western Turkmenia Trudy Zool. Inst. Akad. Nauk Sssr 124: 4-11
  • Ananjeva, N.B. & Tuniev 1994 Some aspects of historical biogeography of Asian rock agamids Russ. J. Herpetol. 1 (1): 43
  • Ananjeva, N. & Orlov, N. 2005 Lizards of North Eurasia. Reptilia (GB) (38): 54-63
  • Eichwald, E. 1831 Zoologia specialis, quam expositis animalibus tum vivis, tum fossilibus potissimuni rossiae in universum, et poloniae in specie, in usum lectionum publicarum in Universitate Caesarea Vilnensi. Zawadski, Vilnae.
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